Shells and Stones
by Writing Avenger 2016
Summary: 1000 years ago, superstition and the sword ruled. It was a time of darkness, a world of fear, and an age of Gargoyles. Stone by day, warriors by night, they were betrayed by the humans they were sworn to protect. Frozen in stone by a magic spell until today. With the spell broken, they live again to protect their new home of Manhattan, alongside it's current mutant heroes.
1. The Awakening Part 1

**Hello everyone this is Writing Avenger 2016**

 _And my name is Author of the Insane, his best friend and co-writer._

 **We have worked together on countless stories in the past, most notably our various Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universes**

 _However, TMNT isn't the only fandom we participate in. I recently got him hooked on Gargoyles, a cartoon from the 90s that still has a strong fan base even after 24 years._

 **While talking and exchanging story ideas one day, we came up with a brilliant idea. What would happen if the Ninja Turtles met the Gargoyles?**

 _Considering I already had a Gargoyles story up and running, we decided to play with the idea of combining my AU with Avenger's TMNT AU._

 **Thus, the story of Shells and Stones was born!**

 _However, I know how popular my Gargoyle story is. Already I have had two different authors get caught plagiarizing my work. Not wanting my friend to suffer from the stigma of being a story thief, I'm just gonna say this right now. The use of my character Willow has been given my permission. More than that, I am helping to WRITE this amazing work of literature._

 **So we hope this doesn't result in any unwanted legal trouble (as if there's any other kind). So without any further ado, ON WITH THE SHOW!**

...

Night time in New York City. Usually bustling with the commotion and business of its citizens. This particular night is no exception, but it came from a very unlikely source.  
Atop the massive Eyrie Building, several thunderous blasts rang out across the sky. As the citizens below looked up to see what might be causing it, they saw pieces of debris raining down from the building. The people scrambled to get out of the way as the debris crashed down, cracking the pavement and crushing a few cars in the process. As the police arrived to protect the civilians, a news van pulled alongside the building. Emerging from it was a young woman with red hair and a man carrying a camera.

"Go for it April!" the cameraman told her.

"Right." she replied. "This is April O'Neil for Channel 6 news! I'm standing outside the Eyrie Building downtown where reports of explosions and falling debris have put the city in a panic!"

Looking around, she saw a cop she recognized, Elisa Maza, a detective she had talked to on a few storied before, was talking with one of the other officers.

"I'm going to see if I can talk to one of the officers in charge to find out what's going on!" She continued to report as she got close to her. "Detective Maza!"

Elisa turned around to see April coming towards her.

"April O'Neil, Channel 6 News." She introduced. "What can you tell us about the situation here?"

"Fraid I don't know any more that you do, Ms. O'Neil." Elisa shared. "But I'm gonna need you to move back! There's no telling when something else is gonna-"

Before she could finish, more debris came crashing down, catching her attention. She quickly pushed April and Vernon out of the way as the stone blocks collided with the sidewalk.

"You two ok?" Elisa asked as the two picked themselves up.

"I'm good." Vernon reassured, looking over his camera. "Though the camera's toast."

"That's ok Vern." April reassured. "We can-"

Just then, April saw something that made her go wide eyed.

"Uh, Detective!" April called out. "You might want to see this."

Elisa came over and saw what April saw, a piece of stone with claw marks embedded into it. The sight surprised and baffled them both.

"They look like-" April started.

"Claw marks." Elisa finished. "But what could be strong enough to leave claw marks in solid stone?"

...

Below the streets in the city's sewer systems, four mutant turtles were gathered a secret, underground sanctuary. This small haven resembled a Japanese homestead, complete with a fully functioning dojo. It was there that they were all convened, listening intently to the instructions of their father and master, a one eared rat by the name of Splinter.

"Shuto!" he called out.

All four turtles moved in perfect synchronization, performing the desired move flawlessly.

"Back fist strike!" Splinter called out as well.

The turtles once again moved in perfect harmony, bringing up their right fists for a deadly strike.

"Upper rising block!"

The turtles moved together again, this time bringing their fists up in a defensive position.

"Double kick counter!" Splinter ordered.

They all jumped into the air, kicking twice before touching down again.

"Again!"

The turtles repeated the previous action, beat for beat. As if someone had hit rewind on a video.

"And, finish!" Splinter declared, slamming his walking stick on the ground.

The turtles all gave their master a proper bow in response… then just collapsed all together, completely out of breath.

"Okay." the purple masked one, Donatello, let out. "I can't move."

"Who wants to move?" Raphael, the one in the red mask asked.

"Wake me for breakfast." Michelangelo in orange told them.

"Note to self, buy Mikey some new deodorant." Leonardo, the leader in blue, remarked.

"You have all done well, my sons." Splinter congratulated them all. "I think we shall call it a night for now."

"No complaints here Master Splinter." Mikey spoke.

He gave a small chuckle, then headed off towards his room for some much needed rest. Once he vanished from the dojo, Leo made a beeline for the TV, knowing that it was almost time for his favorite show of all time.

"Alright!" He let out. "T-minus one minute to blast off."

"You know for a fearless leader, you can be a real dork sometimes." Raph remarked, plopping onto the couch and grabbing a magazine.

"You just don't recognize good television when you see it." Leo rebutted.

"I recognize it enough to know that shows like Space Heroes are just stupid cartoons designed to draw in the weak minded." Raph countered, pulling his magazine open with a small snap.

Leo just rolled his eyes in response.

"If you really think that, why are you here?" Leo asked.

"Because I know that you're not gonna get the chance to watch your show, you know why?" Raph informed him. "Because the 11 o'clock news is about to come on, and that means-"

"April's broadcast is about to start!" Donnie shouted, skidding into the living room.

"Bingo." Raph declared, pointing at his purple-banded brother with his eyes still on his magazine.

"Fine." Leo relented, flipping the channel. "Can't really dismiss a TV broadcast of a friend now can we?"

"Especially when it's on the greatest architectural feat in this city!" Donnie agreed.

"I don't see what the big deal is." Mikey let out. "I mean, so some trillionaire decided to move some dusty old castle to the top of his personal skyscraper. Big whoop."

"Mikey, moving an entire Scottish castle here to New York brick by brick and rebuilding it to look exactly the way it did over a thousand years ago is no small feat." Donnie argued. "And between you and me, I'm curious to know why he did it."

"The way I see it, he's just some rich guy with too much money and way too much free time." Mikey remarked.

"Well, I guess we'll find out." Leo announced.

Channel Six news came on, but much to everyone's surprise, there was a title card reading "We are currently experiencing technical difficulties" dominating the screen. The turtles all raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Channel 6 is broken?" Mikey asked.

"Something must be wrong." Donnie guessed, pulling out his shell cell and dialing April. "I just hope April's ok."

The phone rang twice, then it was answered, much to everyone's relief.

 _"Hey guys."_ April greeted. _"Everything okay?"_

"We were about to ask you that." Donnie replied. "Something wrong with the broadcast tonight?"

 _"Kinda."_ April admitted. _"There was a fire fight going on at the top of the eyrie building. Vern's camera got crushed by some falling debris. And before you ask, we're both fine."_

Donnie let out a sigh of relief at that.

 _"However, I did see something weird on one of the falling stones."_

"Define weird." Donnie inquired.

 _"There were claw marks in the stones."_ April explained. _"And I mean big, deep claw marks. I've never seen anything like it, even during my adventures with you."_

"Hmm, interesting." Donnie admitted. "We'll look into it."

 _"Good luck guys."_ April told them. _"I got a feeling this is going to be a weird one."_

"Aren't they all?" Donnie remarked before hanging up.

"Everything kosher Don?" Raph asked, tossing the magazine aside.

"There was some kind of incident at the Eyrie building tonight." Donnie shared. "April's fine, but we've got ourselves a new case to crack."

"How so?" Leo asked.

"She told me something over there left claw marks in some stone." He told them. "And deep ones at that."

"Uh-oh." Raph let out. "This is gonna be one of those nights, isn't it?"

"We better go check it out." Leo announced.

"Called it!" Raph declared.

...

Up in the lobby of the Eyrie Building, Detective Maza confronted the manservant of the building's owner. Said manservant, a rather stiff man by the name of Owen Burnett, did his best to provide the detective with all the information she required.

"A most unfortunate accident." Owen explained. "One of the newly installed generators in the castle exploded. Mr. Xanatos is more than willing to pay for any damages that may have-"

"Mr. Burnett." Elisa interrupted. "I heard automatic weapons firing up there. Now you can either let me up there to take a look around, or I can come back with a warrant and a lot more cops. It's your call."

"It's alright Owen." a new voice spoke.

The two turned to see a man of Greek descent walk into the room. He had a neatly trimmed beard and long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. He wore a fully black suit, and walked with the air of a man who stood above the world.

"You can let the detective in." He continued. "We've got nothing to hide after all."

"As you wish, Mr. Xanatos." Owen responded.

He turned and walked out of the room, leaving Xanatos and Detective Maza alone.

"Detective Maza." He greeted. "I just got off the phone with the mayor, expressing my dearest apologies for what happened."

Elisa walked towards Xanatos with a serious expression.

"What did happen here, Xanatos?" she demanded. "And don't try to feed me some line about an exploding generator."

"We repelled a small invasion from a rival corporation." Xanatos admitted, leading the detective out of the lobby and up to the main part of the castle. "I was just defending my assets."

"Repelled an invasion?" Elisa repeated skeptically. "You're one man, not a country."

Xanatos chuckled.

"Detective Maza, you'll find I'm bigger and richer than most countries you could name." Xanatos remarked.

"Right..." Elisa let out, crossing her arms. "Well, I hope for your sake you had permits for the weapons I heard."

"Of course." Xanatos nodded.

"And I hope your daughter wasn't anywhere near the fight." she added.

"Naturally." Xanatos confirmed. "I'd sooner sell half my company then let anything happen to her."

The two emerged out into the courtyard of the castle, smoldering piles of rubble everywhere. Elisa surveyed the damage, and as she did, her eye caught sight of a figure standing on one of the battlements.

The figure was large, but didn't seem even remotely human. It seemed to be some sort of gargoyle statue, but Elisa swore she saw it moved. Xanatos followed her gaze up to the statue, clearing his throat.

"One of six statues that came with the castle." he explained. "They're quite lifelike, I must admit. Sometimes I swear I can see them moving."

"Right." Elisa commented, forcing herself to look away.

All of a sudden, there was a cacophonous crash that seemed to emanate from deep within the castle. It sounded like an entire set of pots and pans falling down on one another. Both Xanatos and Elisa turned towards the sound as a new voice called out.

"Sorry!" a young woman's voice apologized. "So sorry!"

From a nearby staircase, a teenage girl with short, bright blue hair and pale skin came barreling into the courtyard.

"Please ignore that." she insisted, looking more than a bit embarrassed. "My new friends accidentally knocked over a kitchen stand."

"Quite alright Willow." Xanatos reassured before turning to Elisa. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave, detective. I have to tend to my guests. Mind showing Detective Maza the way out, Willow?"

"No problem, dad." Willow replied.

She took the detective's hand, leading her back towards the castle and towards the elevator.

"So, new friends huh?" Elisa asked.

"They arrived earlier tonight." Willow explained. "They're pretty cool. I've been showing them around the building."

"Maybe I'll get to meet them some time." Elisa remarked.

"I doubt it." Willow lamented. "They have trust issues. I'm lucky they're even willing to talk to me."

"I see." Elisa replied coyly.

As the two walked out, Elisa secretly took her badge out of her jacket and dropped it on the floor. They made it to the elevator, Willow opening it for her.

"Have good night." she said with a wave.

Elisa waved back, then made a show of patting down her pockets.

"Jalapeña." she swore. "I dropped my badge."

"Uh-oh." Willow let out. "We better go look for it."

"I'll sweep the lobby, see if it fell out there." Elisa insisted.

"Right."

Willow darted off to go search, Elisa letting out a small sigh.

"Sorry Willow, but my investigation isn't over yet." she whispered as she slipped deeper into the castle.

...

Back at the turtles' lair, Donnie was at his computer doing some research about the recently transported castle Xanatos brought to New York.

"Hmm…" Donnie let out. "Interesting."

"What is?" Leo asked as he and his brothers huddled around him.

"Well, apparently there is a lot of lore surrounding Castle Wyvern." Donnie explained. "It seems that it was once the home of Princess Katharine, the niece of King Kenneth, ruler of all Scotland."

"Fascinating." Raph replied sarcastically.

"There's more." Donnie told him. "Apparently, this castle was subject to countless attacks by Vikings, but was able to repel each one despite not having a proper army."

"How'd they pull that off?" Mikey asked.

"...Gargoyles." Donnie answered.

The three stood silent for a moment.

"Gargoyles?" Leo questioned. "As in those stone statues jutting out of the side of the Empire state building?"

"No, real gargoyles." Donnie clarified. "Legend says that a large clan of gargoyles formed a symbiotic relationship with the humans of the castle. In exchange for being allowed to stay at the castle, the gargoyles protected it, and all the humans that lived there."

"But how did it end up a bunch of ruins?" Mikey asked.

"Well, apparently in 994 AD, a group of Vikings launched an invasion at sunrise and completely overtook the castle." Donnie answered. "It's been abandoned ever since, and nobody was brave enough to venture there due to rumors of the grounds being cursed."

"Until Xanatos decided to haul the entire thing over brick by brick." Leo concluded. "But why?"

Mikey suddenly perked up.

"Uh, guys." He spoke. "What if Gargoyles were the things that left those claw marks in the stone?"

"Get real Mikey." Raph told him. "It was just a story. Something made up to sell Gargoyles t-shirts or something."

"Besides, it's been over a thousand years." Leo pointed out. "Nothing could have survived that long."

"Either way, we might need to head over to the castle ourselves, see what we can find." Donnie suggested.

"Agreed." Leo concurred. "Get the Battle Shell ready."

...

Back up in the castle, Elisa searched through one of the darkened corridors of the castle, shining her flashlight over everything. The entire castle seemed to have an air of foreboding to it, as if something monstrous was supposed to jump out at her.

"If Dracula makes an appearance, I'm going to scream." she muttered to herself.

From behind her, she heard a low growling noise. Turning on instinct, she drew her weapon, waving her flashlight across the hallway. However, she soon realized it was nothing. Letting out a sigh of relief, she holstered her weapon.

"This place is playing with my nerves." she let out.

She turned and made her way back into the courtyard, unaware of a strange dog-like creature stalking her in the shadows. Elisa emerged out onto one of the battlements, gazing out at the skyline of the city. Despite the precedence of her investigation, she couldn't help but marvel at the amazing view the castle offered. She was so enraptured by the view that a low growl from the stairs she'd just ascended nearly made her jump out of her skin. She turned back around, her gun practically materializing in her hand as she squinted into the shadows.

"Alright you." she demanded. "Come out now, and put your hands where I can see them."

A pair of white, glowing eyes began to approach from the darkness. Then, the strangest, a possibly the most terrifying creature Elisa had ever seen stepped into the light.  
It was light blue in color, with a stocky body built with thick muscles. It had sharp claws on all four feet, and a stubby snout with sharp fangs. Its ears resembled bat-like wings, and it stood like a dog defending its territory.

Elisa gasped at the sight, leveling her gun with the creature and preparing to fire. Before she got the chance, a shadow fell over her as a figure landed behind her. She turned around to see a giant creature with long brown hair and skin a shade of pale lavender. It wore only a brown loincloth, held in place by a thick brown belt. It had a large It was well muscled, and proved that said muscles weren't just for show by plucking Elisa's gun from her hand, crushing it in his grip as if it was made of tin foil.

"Who are you?" the creature demanded, his voice deep and resonating with untold power. "And why are you sneaking around my castle?"

Elisa stumbled backward in shock. Unfortunately, she ended up backing right into the edge of the battlement overlooking the city. Panic immediately set in, destroying her sense of balance and sending her tumbling over the edge.

...

The turtles drove through the city in their signature vehicle, the Battle Shell, making their way to the Eyrie Building.

"So do we even have a plan for when we get there?" Raph asked.

"Well I was thinking, and-" Leo began.

"Dudes, look!" Mikey called out.

The turtles looked up to see someone falling from the Eyrie building. Donnie immediately slammed on the brakes, all four of them staring out the window at the falling figure. Then, something happened that had all four turtles completely stunned. A second figure descended from the clouds, one that wasn't even remotely human. It grabbed the falling figure, then spread a pair of large wings, carrying them both away from the street and to the safety of a small ledge on the tower.

There was a long moment of silence as the four turtles tried to process what they had just seen.

"Ok...wow." Leo let out. "Just...wow."

"I'm seriously starting to reconsider Mikey's Gargoyle theory." Donnie admitted.

"What's the plan, Leo?" Raph asked.

Leo took another look at the creature and saw he was scaling the building with the woman on his back.

"I say we take a page out of the Gargoyle's book." Leo suggested.

...

The creature finished its assent up the castle, pulling the Detective safely onto the battlements. She practically collapsed once they made it, grateful to be on solid ground once more. Almost immediately, the blue creature started growling at her, forcing her back to her feet.

"Forgot about him" she winced.

The purple creature held his hand up towards the blue one, causing him to back off.

"He will not hurt you." he insisted.

"What is he?" Elisa asked. "For that matter, who and what are you?"

"We are Gargoyles." He told her.

"Gargoyles..." She repeated softly. "If I wasn't staring right at you, I'd call you crazy."

"It seems sorcery is not common place in this new world." the creature assumed.

"Well, these days we tend to rely on something called science." Elisa replied, slowly regaining herself. "I'm Detective Elisa Maza. What's your name?"

"My kind have no names, but you humans called me Goliath." he informed her.

"So, there's more of you?" Elisa asked.

Goliath seemed to look up at one of the taller towers of the castle, his eyes distant and sad.

"Barely..." he eventually replied.

...

Just a short distance below, the turtles proceeded to scale the building using their climbing claws. Due to the building's immense size, it was a daunting and tiring task.

"You know," Mikey spoke. "For future reference, we really oughta leave the wall crawling to dudes in red and blue tights."

"You read… way too many comic books Mikey." Raph told him.

"Come on guys, focus." Leo instructed. "We still got a whole lot of tower to climb."

"Don't remind us." Donnie replied.

...

Back up top, Willow emerged from a small hallway, clutching Elisa's badge in her hand.

"Elisa!" she called out. "Elisa I found your-"

She cut off once she saw the detective talking to Goliath, much to her shock.

"Oh..." she let out, "Hi Goliath..."

"Hello Willow." he greeted back.

"This one of your 'new friends'?" Elisa questioned with a knowing smirk.

"Yeah..." Willow admitted reluctantly before her gaze drifted upward. "And it looks like you're about to meet the other four."

Elisa looked up in time to see four more creatures landing around her n the battlements. All of them were different shapes, sizes, and colors. One that stood out the most was a brown one with a snow white beard and a scar his left eye. From the colorless pupil, it was clear he was blind in that eye. He wore what looked like full armor and even carried a sword.

Another was bright red with white hair as well, but this one seemed much younger than the brown one. He had a long beak-like face, and his eyes narrowed at the sight of Elisa. The third was blue-green, and very fat. It was bald with bat-like ears similar to the gargoyle creature. Finally, a smaller, olive green one took up the rear. His wings were attached to his arms, and he had large eyes and pointed ears.

The red one gave Elisa a sniff, eying her suspiciously.

"Who's the new human?" he asked. "Some new friend?"

"I am… uncertain." Goliath admitted.

"I promise you, I am a friend." Elisa insisted.

"She's telling the truth." Willow piped up. "You can trust her, I swear."

"You know her?" Goliath asked.

Willow nodded.

"We met about four years ago." Willow answered. "She saved me from… someone who is no longer part of my life."

"Well… if you vouch for her… then I suppose she is trustworthy." Goliath relented. "Elisa, was it?"'

"Elisa Maza." she confirmed. "Detective for the NYPD."

"What is a… detective?" the old one asked.

"Well, when somebody does something wrong, I find out who they are and arrest them." Elisa explained as best she could.

"And who decides what's wrong?" Goliath asked.

"We have a justice system." Elisa continued, "Laws, penalties, assessments. We let the people decide."

"You mean humans decide." Goliath commented.

"That's not gonna be a problem for you, is it?" a new voice called out.

Everyone immediately turned towards the new voices, Goliath pushing Elisa behind him on instinct and the red one doing the same for Willow. The turtles had finally reached the top of the building and had just climbed over the barracks.

"What kind of creatures are these?" Goliath asked.

"I've seen their like before." The old one declared, drawing his sword. "They be some kind of troll."

"How did trolls end up here?" the small, green gargoyle asked.

"Trolls?!" Raph let out. "We're turtles you idiots! Can't you see our shells?"

"They sure sound like trolls to me." the fat, blue one declared.

"Friends of yours?" The red one asked Willow.

"I have never seen these trolls before in my life." she answered.

"Troll this!" Raph yelled charging at the red one.

As Raph ran forward, he drew his signature sai, ready for a fight. The sai clashed with the red gargoyles claws, one strike after another. Raph then quickly spin kicked the gargoyle in the face. This merely caused the gargoyle to growl, his eyes glowing brightly.

"You shouldn't have done that." he snarled.

The red gargoyle then leapt at Raph, tackling him to the ground.

"Raph!" Mikey yelled.

He then pulled out his Nunchucks and ran forward as well. The blue, fat gargoyle decided to intercept Mikey and hold him in a bear hug.

"Not so fast, troll!" the blue one declared.

"You want it that way?" Mikey asked, pulling an arm free. "Fine with me!"

Mikey then swung his nunchaku at the blue one, making him stumble back and release his hold on him. He quickly regained his composure as he tried punching at Mikey, who quickly ducked it.

The green gargoyle tried to run over to the blue one, but it just got the blunt end of Donnie's staff.

"Stay away from my brother!" Donnie threatened.

"Stay away from mine first!" the green one threw back.

Donnie tried swinging his staff again, but the green one jumped over it and leapt onto his face, tackling him to the ground.

This left Leo face to face with Goliath.

"You're a big one." Leo commended, drawing his swords.

"That should be reason enough for you to end this battle." Goliath threatened.

"I don't scare easily." Leo remarked.

Goliath let out a mighty roar before leaping towards Leo. He then continued swiping his claws at him, forcing Leo to backup and block every strike with his swords. Leo tried swinging back, but Goliath just grabbed the blade and lifted Leo into the air. Leo took the chance and kicked Goliath in the face, forcing him to let go as Leo back flipped away from him. Goliath just growled in response before dashing towards the blue turtle again. The two clashed claws and swords again and struggled for dominance.

"Ok pal, time for some answers." Leo spoke. "Who are you? And what are you doing here?"

"I owe no explanation to you creature!" Goliath roared.

Goliath then grabbed Leo's swords and tossed them aside. The blue turtle tried punching him, but Goliath just grabbed it and threw Leo behind. Elisa and Willow tried to move out of the way, but Leo collided with Willow, knocking her off the edge of the tower. Her screams alerted the red gargoyle, forcing him to cease his fight with Raph.

"Willow!" he cried out, dashing to the roof.

Mikey saw this as well and leapt on top of the blue gargoyle before leaping off the building. He pulled out a nunchaku and extended the chain, wrapping it around Willow and pulling her towards him.

"Relax!" he told her, extending his chain again. "I got you!"

He tried throwing the chain at the tower, but it came up just a bit short, allowing the two to continue falling.

"That's great," Willow replied panicking. "But who's got you?!"

Just then, the red gargoyle swooped down and grabbed the chain. He glided back upwards towards the castle.

"I do." He reassured.

The red one glided back to the castle and dropped Willow and Mikey on the ground.

"Thanks for the save." Mikey replied, retracting his chain.

"You saved Willow." the red one replied, landing on the ground. "It seemed only fair."

Goliath paused for a moment, surveying these new creatures before him. He then walked over to Leo and offered him a hand up.

"Perhaps, we misjudged you tro- uh, turtles." Goliath admitted.

Leo smiled as he took the hand and Goliath helped him back up.

"Perhaps we misjudged each other." Leo conceded. "Why don't we start over with some proper introductions?"

"Very well." Goliath allowed.

"I am Leonardo. And these are my brothers, Donatello,"

"Hello."

"Michelangelo,"

"What up?"

"And Raphael."

"Sup."

"What about all of you?" Leo asked.

"I am called Goliath." He told him.

"My name is Willow." Willow introduced. "And this is Elisa."

"Hey, you're the detective April was talking too before." Mikey pointed out.

"You know Miss O'Neil?" Elisa asked curiously.

"Yeah, you could say that." Donnie replied, blushing a bit and looking off to the side.

Raph ribbed him gently with a playful smirk.

"She's a friend." Raph shared. "How do you know her?"

"She's interviewed me on a lot of cases I've worked on." Elisa informed him. "She's a good reporter, and unlike most of the leeches in the business, she knows when to speak up and when to stay out of something."

"You can say that again." Leo announced before remembering something. "But we're getting off topic. You never finished telling us your names."

"We don't have names." the small green gargoyle explained.

"Seriously?" Mikey asked. "Well how do you tell each other apart?"

"We look different." The blue gargoyle answered.

"He means what do you call each other?" Donnie clarified.

"Brother." the red one stated.

"Well that's nice," Mikey admitted. "But wouldn't you guys like actual names. Something that shows what you are? Like Goliath over there."

The old gargoyle sighed a bit, shaking his head with a small smile.

"Why must everything have a name?" he questioned, approaching her. "It seems like to humankind, and to you… turtles, nothing is real unless they've given it a name, and defined its limits."

"Names aren't limits, old dude." Mikey reassured. "They're expressions. They don't limit things, they make them special. If i was just, 'the orange turtle', it be boring. Michelangelo, not boring."

"Does the sky need a name?" the old one asked, a confident smirk on his face as he gestured out towards a river on the horizon. "Does the river?"

"Technically, the river's called the Hudson." Donnie shared.

The old gargoyle was taken aback, and everyone else couldn't help but smile at his embarrassment.

"He's got you there pal." Mikey commented.

"Fine lad." the old one relented. "Then I will be 'the Hudson' as well."

"Maybe just 'Hudson'." Willow suggested.

"Hudson it is then." Hudson replied.

"And what of the rest of you?" Goliath asked.

"Yeah, if Hudson has a name, you three will need names too." Willow agreed.

"Well you're in luck then." Mikey spoke up. "Cause I happen to be a genius at naming stuff."

The red one approached Mikey with a smirk.

"Alright then, what's my name?" he asked.

"Well you seem to be a tough fighter, so…" Mikey pondered. "How about...Brooklyn?"

"Brooklyn," he pondered. "I like it. I'm Brooklyn!"

Mikey then turned his attention to the big blue one, stroking his chin in thought.

"How's… Broadway?" he suggested.

Both Elisa and Willow had to hold back amused snorts as the blue one mulled over his new name.

"Sounds great." Broadway replied. "How'd you come up with that one?"

"It just came to me." Mikey dismissed.

His brothers all chuckled good-naturedly, Raph rolling his eyes as Mikey approached the small green one.

"Ok, now you." Mikey said before thinking some more. "What do you think of...Lexington?"

"Lexington." he repeated. "Sounds great!"

That's when the gargoyle dog let out an indignant bark, as if asking what his name would be. Hudson scratched him behind the ear, turning his attention to Mikey.

"And what of this one?" he asked. "Surely he'll need a name as well."

"I think I have one, and it's pretty near and dear to my heart." Mikey told them. "New York Metropolitan Sewer System."

The gargoyle dog barked angrily, jumping at Mikey. Only ninja reflexes and a timely interception by Hudson kept the turtle from becoming gargoyle kibble.

"What? Too wordy?" Mikey asked panicked.

"I think I have a better name." Willow suggested, coming over and petting the beast. "From now on, he'll be Bronx."

The dog let out a much happier bark, giving Willow a lick on the face.

"I think he likes it." Lexington noted.

"Well it's a definite upgrade then what he suggested." Elisa commented. "I mean, sewer system?"

"What?" Mikey replied. "We live in a sewer."

"What's a sewer?" Broadway asked.

That elicited yet another laugh from the group. However, the sky was beginning to visibly lighten, ushering in the next day. Goliath saw this and immediately turned to the five visitors.

"You all have to go, now!" Goliath told him.

"What?" Leo let out. "Why?"

"Let's just say visiting hours are over." Willow declared. "Now go on. Get out of here."

"Think we can see each other again?" Mikey asked.

"Yeah, there's still so much we don't know about you guys." Leo agreed.

"Maybe we can meet up tomorrow night." Brooklyn suggested.

"Yeah!" Lexington agreed. "Got an idea of where we could meet up?"

"Hmm…" Donnie pondered. "I know. We can meet at Antonio's Pizzeria."

"That shop on 11th and Bleecker?" Willow asked.

"That's the one." Mikey confirmed.

"Awesome." she declared. "We'll meet up there after dark for obvious reasons."

"And how about you, Goliath?" Elisa asked. "You'll need a guide to help you learn about the city, and I do owe you for saving my life."

"Hmm, perhaps so." Goliath allowed.

"Great." Elisa declared triumphantly. "Tomorrow's my day off so I can meet you in the afternoon-"

"After dark." Goliath interrupted.

Elisa chuckled.

"Why am I not surprised?" she commented before silently relenting. "Alright, here after dark."

"No." Goliath interrupted again. "Not here. Over there."

He pointed to a nearby rooftop within easy gliding distance of the castle.

"On that rooftop." He insisted.

"Why over there?" Elisa asked.

"Why were you sneaking around the castle?" Goliath countered.

Elisa brushed a stray hair from her face before answering.

"A good detective trusts no one." She replied as best as she could.

"That is something we have in common." Goliath concluded.

"I sense some hostility from that guy." Mikey commented.

"Come on guys, let's go." Leo told them before peering over the side. "Uh, any chance we can use the elevator?"

Willow laughed a bit.

"Sure." she told them. "Come on, I'll show you the way. And this time, no 'accidentally' dropping your badge, Elisa."

Elisa chuckled a bit as the six of them left the courtyard, leaving the gargoyles to take up positions along the battlements.


	2. The Awakening Part 2

The sun was already rising in the sky as the turtles made it back to the lair. Once they made their way in, they were greeted by Splinter, who eyed them all curiously.

"And just where have you four been?" he asked in an authoritative tone.

"Um...out." Raph replied.

"Out where?" Splinter inquired further.

"Oh you know," Leo spoke up. "Just… out…"

"We met some gargoyles on top of a castle." Mikey blurted out.

The others just face palmed at Mikey's abruptness. Splinter's eyes went wide and his walking stick clattered to the ground.

"Did you say… gargoyles?" Splinter asked.

The turtles suddenly became surprised by his question.

"Yes, why?" Donnie questioned.

Splinter sat down in shock, placing a paw on his chest.

"They were not the last of their kind..." he let out.

"Sensei?" Leo asked.

"What are you talking about?" Donnie inquired.

"Before coming to New York, I spent a few years in a temple in the small village of Ishimura." Splinter explained. "That temple was protected and guarded by a clan of gargoyles."

"Whoa." the turtles let out.

"Cool." Mikey commented.

"They believed themselves to be the last of their kind, but it would seem that they were not, not if you truly encountered for of their kind tonight."

"So it seems." Leo agreed.

"But how could they still be alive today?" Donnie asked. "It's been over a thousand years, and I don't think gargoyles are immortal."

"Are they?" Mikey asked.

"No my son, they are not." Splinter answered. "Though they live twice as long as any human, they are still mortal creatures."

"So how are they still kickin today?" Raph asked.

"I think we'll just have to wait until tonight to know for certain." Leo decided.

...  
That night, Elisa cautiously walked out onto the rooftop that she agreed to meet Goliath on.

"Hello?" she called out softly. "Anyone there?"

Goliath stepped around the corner, right into the detective's path. She gasped slightly, taking a step back with a start. Once she realized who it was, she let out a breath and relaxed.

"There you are." She remarked. "Why were you hiding like that?"

"I wanted to make sure you came alone."

Maza chuckled a bit.

"You shouldn't be worried." She tried to assure him. "Even if I told anyone about you, they'd probably write me off as crazy. And if they did believe me, I'm pretty sure you could handle an entire SWAT team."

Goliath raised an eyebrow to that, but brushed it off.

"Shall we be off?" he asked.

"Sure, just one problem." Elisa pointed out. "I haven't the slightest idea of how to keep people from noticing you."

"Simple." Goliath answered. "We will keep to the rooftops."

"That may be okay for you and your wings, but I'm not as lucky as you." Elisa said, patting over her shoulder as if to remind Goliath of her lack of wings. "How am I supposed to-?"

Before she could finish, Goliath gently lifted her into his arms. On instinct, she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Never mind then." She amended. "What do you want to see?"

"I want to see any possible threats to me and my kind." He answered truthfully.

Elisa sighed, running her fingers through her hair.

"Lighten up, will you?" Elisa asked lightly. "You're starting to bring me down, and I'm a cop."

With that, the two took off, flying over the city.

...

The turtles made their way over to Antonio's Pizzeria, perching on the rooftops to await their new friends. They didn't have too long to wait, for soon, three silhouettes could be seen on the horizon.

"Here they come guys!" Mikey cheered.

The turtles looked up to see Lexington, Broadway, and Brooklyn, who was carrying Willow, fly in close and land on the building. Brooklyn set Willow down, all four of them smiling at the turtles.

"Hey guys." Willow greeted. "Sorry we're late. Goliath almost didn't let us go."

"He's overprotective is all." Broadway remarked with a shrug. "It's just who he is."

"I think we picked up on that a bit last night." Leo recalled.

Broadway's stomach let out an audible growl, the large gargoyle rubbing his swollen belly.

"Man, I'm hungry." he announced.

"You're always hungry." Brooklyn retorted.

"Good think we decided to meet here." Raph remarked.

"You said it bro." Mikey agreed.

"Alright, you guys stay here." Willow told them. "I'll see if I can order us some pizzas down below."

She fished around in the pocket of her hoodie, pulling out a wallet decorated with butterflies of various cool colors. She opened it, revealing an array of golden colored credit cards.

"Benefits of being a Xanatos, buying enough food for eight people will be a synch." she remarked, pulling one out before slipping down the fire escape.

"In the meantime," Leo spoke up. "Maybe you three could tell us a little about yourselves."

"What do you want to know, Leonardo?" Lexington asked.

"Well, there's a lot of legend and speculation surrounding the castle you guys live in." Donnie shared. "A lot of it involving gargoyles."

"Of course, our clan was living on that cliff long before the humans ever built the castle." Brooklyn explained.

"Wait, you were there?" Donnie asked. "But that was over a thousand years ago. How is that possible?"

"It may have been over a thousand years for you, but to us, it was just two nights ago." Lexington explained.

"We were cursed." Broadway added. "Trapped as statues by a wizard."

"Whoa." Mikey let out. "But, you're not stone now."

"That's thanks to my dad." Willow declared, climbing back up the fire escape with a large stack of pizza boxes in her hands. "A little help with these?"

Mikey and Leo dashed over and grabbed some of the pizzas as Brooklyn pulled her safely onto the roof.

"Thanks." she said. "Now, you were asking why they weren't statues anymore."

"Right." Raph confirmed, grabbing a slice of pizza.

"Well, my dad managed to get his hands on the very spell book that was used to cast the spell over the gargoyles." she explained, snagging a slice for herself. "After translating the Latin, we learned that the terms of the spell were that they would remain frozen in stone 'until the castle rises above the clouds'."

"I think that qualifies." Leo remarked, looking back at the Eyrie building.

"Apparently, considering we're all wide awake." Brooklyn remarked, picking up one of the pizza slices and examining it. "What is this?"

"This, is pizza." Mikey explained. "It's the greatest food you will ever taste in the 21st century."

"We'll see about that." Broadway replied, taking a slice and biting into it.

Almost immediately, his eyes went wide and he shoved the rest of the slice into his mouth. Before he even finished swallowing the slice, he snagged an entire box, shoveling one slice after the other into his mouth. Mikey's jaw dropped at the massive consumption before him.

"Guess we should be glad we got more than one." Raph remarked, elbowing Mikey.

Brooklyn and Lexington ate their slices as well, though they maintained a bit more decorum than their brother.

"What about you guys?" Lexington asked in between bites. "How did a group of tro- er, turtles, come to this city?"

"Were you cursed as well?" Brooklyn asked.

"No." Leo replied. "Our origins are bit less… mystical than yours."

"Our story, is actually the story of a man named Chung Li." Donnie shared.

All three gargoyles sat forward, Willow doing the same.

"Who's Chung Li?" Broadway asked.

"I'm pretty sure that's a character in a video game." Willow added. "I'll explain what that is later."

"He happens to be a martial artist." Raph told her. "And a pretty good one at that."

"He was trained by one of the best, a man name Hamato Yoshi." Leo told them. "One of the greatest practitioners of Ninjutsu in centuries."

"God Bless you." Willow let out.

"No, ninjutsu." Leo corrected. "It's an ancient Japanese battle art that combines stealth and power."

"Sounds so..." Lexington tried.

"Cool?" Brooklyn supplied.

"Yeah, that's the word." Lexington answered.

"Yeah," Leo agreed. "Anyway, after Hamato Yoshi… passed on, Li was forced to live in the sewers. One day an accident happened. An old blind man was crossing the street when a large truck came barreling down."

"Truck?" Lexington asked.

"Giant wagon that doesn't need horses." Willow quickly told him. "I'll add that to the list of things to show you."

"Right. As i was saying," Leo continued. "The only one who noticed this, was a boy carrying a glass jar that held four baby turtles."

"That was us." Mikey pointed out.

"We got that." The gargoyles and Willow all said in unison.

"Okay, okay." Mikey backed off. "No need to be testy."

"Riiight." Leo let out. "Anyway, on instinct, the boy dropped the turtles and ran out to save the old man. The turtles washed down the storm drain to where Li was watching. As the boy pushed the old man out of the way, the truck swerved and a metal canister bounced out of the back. If bounced down the same storm drain and smashed open, releasing some strange ooze which covered us and Li."

"This ooze… was it some sort of magic potion?" Lexington asked.

"It had to have been if it turned normal turtles into trolls." Broadway declared.

"Well I don't think it was magic." Donnie dismissed. "But it did seem to combine our DNA with the DNA of whatever living creature we were most recently in contact with."

Donnie was greeted by a trio of blank looks from the turtles. He coughed, then tried again.

"Because my brothers and I were last touched by humans, the ooze turned us into half human, half turtle hybrids." he clarified.

This earned him a trio of understanding looks combined with slow nods.

"And...Li?" Brooklyn asked.

"Is he a turtle too?" Willow added.

"No. Being in the sewers for so long," Donnie replied. "He spent a good amount of time with the rats."

"So he became a rat-man?" Lexington guessed.

"Essentially." Raph confirmed.

"Needless to say, he was pretty devastated." Leo added. "He didn't even see a shadow of his former self, more like a splinter, as he put it."

"We know how he must have felt..." Brooklyn let out sadly. "When we found out what happened to our clan, not to mention sleeping for over a thousand years, we were pretty shocked too."

"I'll bet." Raph replied. "Though Li's despair didn't last long.

"What happened?" Broadway asked.

"Us." Mikey answered. "He saw us and how lost and alone we were. He felt the same way when his master took him in, so he decided to care for us and train us in ninjutsu. He even took a name we kinda gave him."

"Fitting enough, Splinter." Leo concluded. "And he named us after his favorite renaissance artists."

"And the rest is history." Raph finished.

"Whoa..." Lexington let out. "So, the rat-man is like your leader."

"More than that." Leo explained. "He's more like… our father."

"Cool." Willow declared. "You guys are seriously lucky."

"Really?" Raph asked. "This coming from the girl who lives in a castle with her trillionaire dad."

"Hey, you guys have a dad who's a kick butt ninja." she countered. "Besides, money isn't everything. He's always busy. I mean, he does care, I know that much. But it would be nice to spend some quality time with him."

"Ah." Raph let out. "Sorry I… i didn't know."

Willow snorted, tossing her pizza crust at him.

"Oh lighten up, troll-boy." she told him. "You're bringing the mood down."

"Okay, okay." Raph replied. "Just lay off with the troll stuff already."

"Why?" Brooklyn asked with a playful smirk. "You certainly smell like trolls."

"So we live in a sewer, big deal." Mikey remarked. "We happen to shower regularly.

"Well some of us do." Donnie amended, giving Raph a look.

Raph just threw a bit of pizza crust at him in response.

...

Goliath found himself in awe of how large the city was. The number of people he saw milling about below vastly outnumbered even the largest army he had ever faced down. The noise was also new for him. The sounds of car horns and people yelling filled his ears, even from high up in the sky.

This self-guided aerial tour continued for a while before Goliath landed on the top of the Empire State building. He set Elisa down, allowing her to stand as he flexed his slightly stiff arms.

"Well?" Elisa asked. "What do you think so far?"

Goliath looked back over the city.

"Such amazing changes man has made to the world while my clan slept." He remarked. "Stone streets, finer than even those of the romans. Towers of glass and iron… it's incredible."

"Yeah, I'm used to it." Elisa admitted. "Though I suppose to someone like yourself, it is pretty impressive."

"I see there are no walls to guard this city." Goliath remarked. "How do you defend against invaders?"

"Honestly, our biggest problems come from inside, not out." Elisa replied.

Goliath sighed, his fists tightening.

"That I am all too familiar with." He told her.

Elisa looked up at him with a curious look. She placed a hand on his arm, drawing his attention.

"Goliath, did something happen to you?" she asked.

Goliath's face fell a bit, recalling what happened.

"I trusted someone back at the castle." he shared, his eyes distant as he remembered. "He was responsible for the destruction of my clan.

"But, I met your clan." Elisa said in confusion. "Hudson, Brooklyn, Broadway, Lexington… aren't they your clan."

"Yes, but back then there were dozens of us." he shared. "They were destroyed while they slept, and I was helpless to prevent it… I lost my friends, my brothers and sisters… My mate…"

Elisa leaned onto Goliath's shoulder, squeezing his arm gently.

"I'm so sorry..." she told him softly.

"You weren't responsible." He told her.

"Doesn't mean I can't feel sorry for you." she replied. "Nobody should have to suffer like that."

Goliath was a bit surprised by the sudden kindness, but smiled regardless.

"Thank you Elisa." Goliath replied. "Compassion like yours is… refreshing."

She returned his smile, then gave a stretch.

"Come on, let me take you somewhere I know you'll enjoy."

...

The turtles, Willow, and the trio made their way across the rooftops, having a bit of a race. So far, the gargoyles were taking the lead, their wings giving them an advantage even with Willow as added weight.

"Come on slow pokes!" Lexington called back.

The turtles were starting to become irritated by this, thinking it was time to step up their game.

"It sounds like the gargoyles want to play boys." Leo told them.

"About time!" Raph declared. "Mikey, do it!"

"You got it Raph!" Mikey replied, pulling out his kusarigama chain.

He then threw it at Lexington, wrapping around his legs. Lexington got pulled back, where Mikey quickly used him as a springboard to launch himself into the air.

"Booyakasha!" Mikey yelled as he soared through the air.

He then landed on top of Broadway before leaping off him as well. Brooklyn quickly banked left, leaving Mikey to land hard on a nearby rooftop.

"Better luck next time, Michelangelo!" He called out, Willow making a face in his grip.

"Hey, I'm still second in all this!" Mikey reminded.

Just then, Broadway and Lexington swooped down and grabbed Mikey's arms, lifting him into the air.

"Need a lift, little buddy?" Broadway asked.

"Hey!" Mikey called out. "I didn't call for a taxi!"

The two gargoyles look at each other, then share a nod. At the same time, they both let him go, letting him drop down into an open dumpster. The turtles ran to the edge of the roof to see if he was ok. Mikey then poked his head out of the dumpster.

"Donnie, any chance you could, like, build us some wings or something?" he asked, pulling an old banana peel off his head.

"I'll see what I can do." Donnie replied as he and the others made it down to street level.

Once they all gathered in the alley, Brooklyn set Willow down, helping Mikey out of the dumpster.

"Sorry about that." He apologized. "My brothers and I get carried away sometimes."

"Eh it's cool." Mikey replied. "My bros and I can be that way too."

"Especially when it comes to you, Mikey." Raph joked.

Just then, some kind of scuffling rang out from the other end of the alley. Everyone was immediately on edge, scooting towards the sounds as quietly as possible. Leo peered around the corner, seeing a group of punks with purple dragon tattoos harassing a couple.

"Come on folks," one purple dragon insisted. "You want hang in this neighborhood, you have to pay the toll."

The young man of the couple put himself between the purple dragon and his girlfriend, pulling out his wallet and holding it out.

"Here, just take it." he insisted. "I don't want any trouble."

"Purple Dragons..." Raph hissed.

"But, they're not dragons..." Broadway pointed out. "Or purple."

"It's the name of a street gang," Donnie explained. "Think Vikings, but without the armor. They take what they want and don't care who gets hurt."

This caused all three of the gargoyles to growl, their eyes glowing brightly. The turtles all drew their weapons, looking out at the purple dragons.

"Hey, how about we show you guys how we do things here in NYC." Raph suggested.

"Lead on." Brooklyn allowed.

Leo nodded and threw a throwing star at one of the dragon's makeshift weapons, knocking it out of his hand.

"If you want handouts, I think there's a salvation army two blocks down!" Leo called out.

The dragons all turned towards the turtles and immediately stiffened.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't New York's very own freak show." One dragon with bright blue hair declared. "Still running around like it's Halloween every night?"

"Yeah, and we have a few tricks for you guys." Mikey taunted.

The dragons all moved in on the turtles, their makeshift weapons raised. Mikey blocked one dragon trying to swing a crowbar at him. The orange turtle just knocked it out of

his hands before smacking him in the face with a nunchaku. Another dragon came up spinning a chain, eying Donnie as he spun his staff a bit. As the dragon swung his chain at him, Donnie raised his staff so the chain could wrap around it. Donnie then flung the chain aside before striking the dragon in the gut and sweeping his legs out from under him.

From the darkness of the alley, the gargoyles and willow watched in amazement as they fought.

"Whoa, these guys are something else." Willow commented.

"That they are." Lexington agreed.

Raph danced around one dragon wielding a knife, avoiding every strike. Finally, Raph kicked the knife out of his hand before grabbing him by the shirt and throwing him into the dumpster. Leo meanwhile, was circling around another dragon wielding a switch blade, along with a long pipe. He frantically swung them at Leo, but he ducked and dodged every strike. Leo then pulled out a sword and sliced the pipe in half before aiming it at the dragons face.

"You better think really hard about your next move." he told him.

The dragon looked about ready to do something foolish, but then stopped when he noticed three glowing sets of eyes staring out at him from the darkness.

"My suggestion, run." Brooklyn growled from the darkness.

The dragons stumbled back in fear before bolting out of the alley and into the night. Willow and the gargoyles emerged from the alley, all four of them laughing.

"Man, I didn't know humans could run that fast." Broadway commented.

"I'm pretty sure that one dude pissed his pants." Willow added.

"Not bad." Brooklyn admitted.

Suddenly, another batch of screams was heard. This time, from the couple they saved. Everyone turned and watched them disappear down the street, screaming about monsters. Raph let out a sigh, shoving his sai back in his belt.

"That's human gratitude for you." Raph remarked.

"We're used to it." Lexington lamented.

"Yeah, it's the one thing that hasn't changed in the past thousand years."

"Yeah, but not all humans are that bad." Mikey insisted.

"This is true." Brooklyn allowed, giving Willow a soft smile.

Willow blushed, fiddling with a lock of her hair before letting out a cough.

"Um… where to now, guys?" she asked.

"I think these guys need to see the sights, what do you think?" Mikey asked.

"Good idea Mikey." Donnie agreed.

"Why don't we show Broadway his namesake?" Raph suggested.

"Great idea!" Willow cheered. "To Broadway!"

...

Meanwhile, Elisa and Goliath walked through Central Park, enjoying a small piece of nature amongst the loud city.

"You know, we're probably the only couple in the park that doesn't have to worry about muggers." Elisa commented.

"As I said before, the world may have changed, but man is still as savage as I remember." Goliath told her.

"Don't judge us too harshly." She lightly chastised. "The city may show an ugly face sometimes, but once you get to know it, you'll see the nicer side as well. In a way, it's like you guys."

Goliath raised an eyebrow to that, but before he could comment, a sound in the bushes drew his attention. Elisa noticed his distraction, immediately becoming on edge.

"What is it, Goliath?" she asked quietly.

There was a loud bang, then something struck Goliath in the shoulder, revealing itself to be some sort of dart. He howled in pain, clawing at his arm as he stumbled. Almost immediately after that, the very same mercenaries from the night before closed in on the pair. Elisa drew her gun, but one of the mercs quickly kicked it out of her hands. Another grabbed her, subduing her and dragging her back.

Seeing Elisa being manhandled enraged Goliath. His eyes began to glow brightly as he lashed out, trying to fight back. Unfortunately, the drug the dart had been laced with was doing its job. His movements were slowly growing ever more sluggish, his strength fading and his limbs becoming as heavy as lead weights. This left him easy prey for a trio of mercs as they wrestled him to the ground.

The leader of the mercs drew a gun from his belt, approaching Goliath with a triumphant smirk.

"What do you want?!" Elisa demanded, still struggling in the grip of her captor.

"We're just tying up loose ends." The leader replied, leveling the gun with Goliath. "And once we're done with this one, we'll hunt down the rest of those freaks, whether they be gargoyle or turtle."

"No…" Goliath weakly protested, struggling to fight the effects of the drug. "I won't… let you…"

"What makes you think you have a choice?" the merc leader taunted.

Having heard enough, Elisa stomped down hard on her captor's foot. He released her in shock, allowing her to elbow him in the gut before bringing both elbows down on his back. With him out of the way, she ran at the leader, charging into him like a linebacker. The two went flying, his gun bouncing across the ground before disappearing into the woods.

While Elisa dealt with the leader, Goliath continued his efforts to escape. Even drugged, he was still strong enough to shake off the mercs holding him. He kicked one off, getting to his feet before throwing the other two away one by one. In retaliation, the first merc grabbed a gun of her own, firing from where she'd landed. Thinking fast, Elisa ran over to Goliath, who wasted no time scooping her up before running off.

The merc got back on her feet, continuing her pursuit. Goliath did not even bother looking back, his eyes locking onto a small hill up ahead. Using it as a runway, the gargoyle picked up speed, spreading his wings before taking off. The merc kept firing, even as they vanished from sight. Only a court order from her leader stopped her.  
"Cease firing!" he ordered, grabbing her gun. "They won't get far."

...

The turtles and their entourage made their way through the city, traversing across street lights and across wind currents respectively.

"Man, this city is absolutely amazing." Broadway declared.

"So much bigger than the castle ever was." Brooklyn agreed.

"And all this technology, it's unbelievable." Lexington said in awe.

As they passed over a nearby street, a young man on a motorcycle zoomed past. Immediately, Lexington's eyes locked onto it, the small gargoyle landing on one of the lamp posts to watch it.

"Whoa, what is that?" he asked.

"A motorcycle." Donnie explained. "A smaller machine used for transportation."

"It's… amazing!" Lex exclaimed. "I gotta get a closer look."

"Whoa!" Raph called out. "Not a good idea."

Unfortunately, Raph's warning came a few seconds too late, Lexington having already taken off to examine the motorcycle closer.

"Unbelievable." he let out.

"Now you know how I feel, Raph." Leo informed him.

Lexington meanwhile, swooped down to get a closer look at the bike, doing his best to remain out of the rider's sight.

"Incredible." Lex marveled.

Unfortunately for the small gargoyle, his comment drew the attention of the driver. He let out a shout, losing control of his bike and skidding out of control. He was flown clear across the road, where he bounced a couple times before finally coming to a stop. Thankfully, his gear kept him from getting too badly injured. In fact, he seemed to be alright as he scrambled to his feet and ran away screaming.

"Wait!" Lex called out. "Don't go!"

"Well what did you think was gonna happen?" Raph asked, leaping down to the street.

"I didn't mean to scare him." Lexington admitted, pulling the discarded motorcycle back up. "I just wanted to see how this… motorcycle worked."

"You even know how to work that thing?" he questioned.

"Doesn't look too hard." Lex commented.

He straddled the bike, then revved the engine. Doing so sent him speeding down the street, much to his friends' shock.

"Lexington!" they shouted in unison.

The gargoyles immediately gilded after him, Willow and the turtles pursuing on foot. Lexington's impromptu ride came to an end as he released the bike, allowing his wings to pull him back to safety. This left the bike without a driver, and it ended up crashing right into the brick walls surrounding Central Park. The rest of the group quickly caught up to him, watching as the bike exploded into flames.

"Smooth landing." Mikey commented, walking over to Lex.

"It… was an accident." He let out.

"You think that guy has gargoyle insurance?" Raph asked.

"I somehow doubt it." Donnie replied.

"What's... insurance?" Broadway asked.

"It's-" Leo was about to answer.

Suddenly, the blue turtle heard something. The other turtles all perked up as well, their hands instinctively going to their weapons. Leo peered around the wall and saw some armed thugs running through the park.

"Looks like we got trouble." he remarked.

The gargoyles leaned against the wall, Brooklyn dragging Willow with him.

"What do you see, Leonardo?" he whispered.

"About four or five goons." he reported. "All heavily armed."

Lexington poked his head over the edge of the wall, gasping before pulling himself back down.

"It's the same guys who attacked the castle last night!" he hissed.

"I'm guessing that was the cause of the light show yesterday." Raph chimed in.

"They were, yes." Willow answered. "But what are they doing here in Central Park?"

All three gargoyles suddenly snapped up, remembering something important.

"Goliath!" they all let out.

"He went out with that detective tonight." Brooklyn stated.

"They must be after them." Lexington surmised.

"Come on!" Leo motioned. "They might need our help."

Brooklyn slipped Willow onto his back, then all of them slipped into the park to find Goliath.

...

Elisa and Goliath trudge under a bridge, the gargoyle leaning heavily on Elisa. He fell to his knees, his vision blurry as he groaned.

"What is wrong with me…?" he let out.

Elisa pulled the dart from his arm, showing it to him.

"Those mercs drugged you." She explained. "Though it doesn't seem to be killing you, it is slowing you down."

As she tossed the dart away, a large swarm of figures began to approach. Fearing it was the mercenaries, Elisa put herself between Goliath and the approaching shadows. Her defensive posture faded once she realized it was their friends.

"Goliath!" the trio cried out.

"What are… you three doing here?" he asked.

"We were out on the town when we saw those mercenaries." Leo explained.

"We had to make sure you were okay." Lexington insisted.

"Yeah, we didn't survive over a thousand years of slumber just to lose you on our second night." Brooklyn declared.

Donnie walked over to Goliath, noticing his weakened state.

"What's wrong with him?" he asked.

"The mercs drugged him." Elisa explained. "He was barely able to glide us to safety before collapsing all together."

"How'd those guys even find him?" Mikey questioned.

While looking him over, Donnie noticed something shimmering under Goliath's wing. He looked there and saw a small metal device planted on his back.

"I think I know." he said, plucking it off.

"What… is that?" Goliath questioned, squinting at the small device.

"Looks like a radio transmitter of some kind." Donnie hypothesized.

"Basically, a magic tracking spell." Willow translated.

"Can I see that?" Elisa asked, holding out her hand.

Donnie nodded as he handed her the device. She looked at it, noticing a manufacturer's logo on the back. She took note of the design, then noticed a small dog rummaging through some garbage off to the side. She approached it, though the dog immediately raised its hackles, growling at her. She slowed her approach, crouching down and offering her hand for it to sniff. Once it realized Elisa wasn't going to harm it, it calmed down. It even gave her a few small licks on the hand.

"There we go, good boy." Elisa told the dog.

She gave it an affectionate head scratch, simultaneously slipping the transmitter behind its ear.

"Good boy, now go." She insisted. "Go on."

The dog ran off into the park, taking the small device with it. Elisa straightened up, wiping her hands on her jeans.

"There." she declared. "Let them chase rover for a while instead of us."

"Nice idea, Elisa." Willow complimented.

"Thanks, now help me with Goliath." she insisted. "Even with the tracker gone, we need to get out of this park and fast."

"Right." Leo agreed.

The two girls helped Goliath back to his feet, the turtles and remaining gargoyles forming a protective circle around the three. Lexington glanced up at the sky with a worried look.

"Guys, I don't think we're going to make it back to the castle in time." he said fearfully.

"Even if we could, we wouldn't be able to defend ourselves..." Broadway added.

"Need… a place… to hide..." Goliath declared, struggling to remain on his feet.

"What about the lair?" Mikey suggested.

"Can we get there before sunrise?" Brooklyn questioned.

"Maybe." Donnie answered. "If I can get the Battle Shell over here in time."

"Go." Leo told him. "Get it. We'll stay here and keep Goliath covered."

Donnie nodded before taking off. As he disappeared, the gargoyles gathered up in a small outcropping of trees as the sky began to visibly lighten.

"Not good." Brooklyn let out before turning to the others. "Leonardo, listen to me. You have to lead the mercenaries away from us. We won't be able to defend ourselves once the sun rises."

"Don't worry." Leo reassured. "We got your backs."

"Hang on guys, why won't you be able to defend yourselves?" Mikey asked. "You're kick butt warriors."

"During the night, yes." Lexington agreed. "But during the day-"

He never got the chance to finish his statement, for at that moment, the sun appeared over the horizon. Once it did, all four of the gargoyles began to petrify, solidifying into stone statues of themselves. The turtles and Elisa all gasped as Willow slipped herself out of Goliath's stony grip.

"They're helpless stone statues." she said, finishing Lexington's statement.


	3. The Awakening Part 3

The turtles and Elisa stared at their gargoyle friends in a combination of shock and horror. The coming of the rising sun, they had been reduced to helpless stone statues. This was made worse by the fact that the park they were in was still crawling with mercenaries wanting their heads. Raph looked over at Willow, who had just informed the group of this particular gargoyle trait.

"You could have mentioned this little tidbit earlier." Raph told her.

"Excuse me for keeping my friends' greatest weakness a secret." Willow snapped at him.

"Well it doesn't matter now!" Elisa interrupted.

Everyone paused, then nodded.

"Elisa's right." Leo agreed. "Right now, our main focus is keeping the mercs from finding our friends and getting them out of the park in one piece."

"But how?" Raph asked. "It's broad daylight out."

"I can lead the mercenaries away from you guys." Elisa offered. "They only know about me and Goliath, meaning the five of you have an advantage. Once your brother gets

back with your… what was it called again?"

"Battle Shell." Mikey supplied.

"Right, once he brings in the Battle shell, load up the gargoyles and get them out of the park." She ordered.

"Sounds like a plan." Leo agreed. "We can help you from whatever shadows we can find."

"Good." Elisa told him, pulling her jacket around her. "Because I'm going to need all the help I can get."

"Willow, think you can stay with them?" Leo asked.

"Wouldn't dream of doing anything else." she replied, plopping down on the grass among the four statues.

Elisa peered through the underbrush, noting the mercs closing in. With no more time for a complicated plan, she ran out onto the path, drawing the mercs' attention before taking off in the opposite direction of the clearing.

"It's the woman!" one of them shouted. "But what about the beast?"

"Forget the freak." The leader commanded. "We can track him no matter what. We'll deal with her for now."

The four mercs took off after Elisa, unaware of the three turtles following them. As Elisa reached a picnic area, she took cover behind one of the tables, using it as an opportunity to catch her breath. The four mercs slowed their approach as they entered the area, the leader scanning over it carefully.

"Fan out." he ordered.

The mercs nodded and spread out through the area. As one passed by a nearby bush, Raph popped out and grabbed him, putting his hand over his mouth as he pulled him back into the bush. The slight rustle of the leaves drew the attention of the other three mercs.

"What was that?" a female merc questioned.

Elisa took the opportunity to sweep one mercs legs out from under them, knocking them out as they hit the ground. She barely had time to relieve him of his weapon before the remaining two turned in her direction.

"Open fire!" the leader demanded.

The mercs started firing at Elisa, causing her to bolt out of there. As they continued firing though, several throwing stars came out of nowhere and embedded themselves in the guns. Both the female and her leader were forced to drop their guns, turning in the direction the stars had come from.

"Throwing stars?" the leader questioned. "What is this, feudal japan?"

Before the female could respond, some chain wrapped around her and pulled her away. She disappeared into the surrounding trees, where the sounds of multiple punches could be heard. The leader backed away in fear, turning to run. However, that's when he ended up running right into Elisa.

"Hey there." she greeted before punching him in the face.

As the leader fell to the ground, the turtles reconvened and circled up with her.

"Nice right hook." Raph complimented.

"I'm a cop in New York City." she replied, shining her nails on her coat. "Gotta know how to defend myself."

"Come on guys, Donnie's probably got the Battle Shell by now." Leo announced.

...

Donnie pulled the Battle Shell up to the clearing where the gargoyles had hidden, arriving around the same time his brothers and Elisa got back.

"Nice timing Don." Leo called out. "Come on, let's get the gargoyles in the back."

"Why do they need our-?" Donnie let out, pausing when he saw the stone statues of the gargoyles. "Oh… Is this normal?"

"Yes." Willow answered.

"Let's get them out of here before those goons wake up." Leo declared.

Donnie nodded as he got out of the Battle Shell and helped load the gargoyles into the car.

"Yeesh!" Mikey let out as he and Raph picked up Broadway. "These guys need to take off a few pounds."

"They are solid stone." Donnie pointed out. "They're supposed to be heavy."

"Forgive me for complaining." Mikey retorted as they placed him in the Battle Shell.

Once all four statues were safely in the battle shell, Willow gave them all a glance over, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Not a single crack, jalapeña." she let out.

Elisa popped into the passenger seat of the battle shell as Willow nestled herself amongst the statues.

"I hope you don't mind us tagging along with these guys." Elisa remarked. "But I personally want to make sure Goliath's okay."

"Not a problem." Leo allowed.

Raph then noticed a small problem with their current predicament.

"Uh, Leo? How are we gonna get back to the lair?" he asked. "There ain't no more room."

Donnie grinned, jumping into the driver's seat.

"Guess you guys are walking!" he called out before slamming the door shut and peeling out of the park.

The three remaining turtles just stood there, dumbstruck.

"He ditched us." Mikey let out. "I can't believe he ditched us."

"Come on," Leo ordered. "Let's get out of here before this park becomes crowded."

Raph and Mikey nodded as the three bolted from the park to meet up with the others.

...

Xanatos sat in his office, his phone to his ear and a serious expression on his face.

 _"Hi, this is Willow. Leave a message after the beep."_ Willow's recorded voice declared on the other end of the line.

"Willow, it's Dad." Xanatos spoke. "Where are you? Call me the second you get this message."

He hung up, slamming the phone down on the receiver. That was the fifth time he had tried to call her since the sun had risen, and still she hadn't answered.  
Owen entered the office, looking at his boss with sympathy.

"Still no word from Miss Willow?" he asked.

"Nothing." Xanatos lamented. "I'm half tempted to send out a security detail to look for her."

"With all due respect sir, I feel that may be a bit overkill." Owen pointed out. "After all, she was with the gargoyles the last time you saw her, and I am certain that they would not leave her anywhere dangerous."

"I suppose you're right, but if she isn't back here at sundown, then I will send that detail." Xanatos decided.

...

Willow slumped against the leg of Goliath's statue, snoring slightly as Donnie pulled into an old garage on the edge of town. Elisa had fallen asleep as well, curled up on the passenger seat. As Donnie put the Battle Shell in park, he nudged Elisa a bit, trying to wake her up. She let out a soft groan, rubbing her eyes and sitting up.

"Where are we?" she asked groggily, unbuckling herself and stepping out of the Battle Shell.

"In an old garage off of Eastman and Lairds." Donnie told her. "It's where we store the Battle Shell. The gargoyles should be safe here."

Elisa stretched, then opened the back of the Battle Shell, smirking when she saw Willow's snoozing form.

"I swear, she can sleep anywhere." she remarked, pulling Willow from the back. "Got anywhere I can put her?"

"Sure we shouldn't we wake her?" Donnie asked.

"Nah." Elisa replied. "She's not like us. Once the adrenaline wears off, she's dead to the world."

Donnie just shrugged in response.

"There's a couch we can put her on." he told her.

Elisa handed Willow over to him as the other three turtles finally arrived.

"Hey Don!" Mikey called out. "Thanks for ditching us in the middle of Central Park."

"You three needed the exercise." Donnie told them, setting Willow down.

"Right." Raph remarked. "I'll remember that next time we need to retreat from the Foot."

"I'm sorry, the Foot?" Elisa asked.

"It'd...it'd take too long to explain." Leo told her. "Let's just get the gargoyles out of the Battle Shell. I have a feeling they're gonna need a lot of elbow room when the sun goes down."

One by one, the gargoyles were removed from the back of the Battle Shell, set up in a circle off to the side. Once the job was done, Elisa slumped against the couch Willow was on, leaning back before nodding off herself.

"I'm starting to agree with Elisa's plan." Mikey commented, yawning and stretching his arms. "I am exhausted."

"We'll nap later." Leo told him. "Right now we need to let Master Splinter know what's going on."

"You don't think he'll be mad at us for letting Elisa and Willow crash in the garage, do you?" Raph asked. "I mean, he wasn't that thrilled when we brought April home with us, or that I let Casey know our address."

"I don't know." Leo admitted. "But we'll just have to play it by ear for now. And if he's mad… it's Donnie's fault this time."

"Hey!" Donnie shouted indignantly.

...

Down in the lair, the turtles met with Splinter and explained everything that had transpired. He listened to their tale intently, nodding at the occasional comment.

"And that's basically what happened, sensei." Leo concluded. "We've got Goliath and his clan up in the garage."

"We also have a both Detective Maza and Willow up there too." Mikey added. "They kinda fell asleep on the old couch Don keeps up there."

"I see." Splinter let out, stroking his goatee. "While I am weary of bringing more humans this close to our home, they do seem to be trustworthy. And you displayed great skill and cunning in today's battle."

"Thank you, Master Splinter." Leo said gratefully, bowing slightly.

"So what now?" Donnie asked.

"Now you four get some rest." Splinter told them. "Come nightfall, the gargoyles will be flesh again, and I would like to see them for myself."

"Oh man, this is gonna be sweet!" Mikey cheered.

...

As the sun began to set over the horizon, the turtles and Splinter entered the dilapidated garage. Elisa was already starting to wake up, Willow doing the same.

"What time is it?" Willow asked through a huge yawn

"About 5:45." Donnie informed.

Both girls turned towards the turtles, their eyes widening at the sight of Master Splinter. Elisa was on her feet quickly.

"Whoa, I knew the city had a rat problem, but this isn't what I was expecting."

"Elisa, Willow, this is Master Splinter." Leo introduced. "He's our teacher, and our father."

"Right, Chung Li from your story." Willow remembered, standing up as well. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Willow Xanatos."

"Detective Elisa Maza." Elisa added, holding out her hand.

"A pleasure for me as well." Splinter replied, shaking Elisa's hand. "Though Splinter will be just fine."

"Of course." Willow replied.

All of a sudden, the sound of cracking stone filled the entire garage. Willow and Splinter turned to the statues with knowing looks, backing away a couple of steps.

"My sons, I suggest you step back." Splinter announced.

"You too Elisa." Willow added.

All parties obliged as they took a few steps back. They all watched as all four of the gargoyle statues started to crack. Bits of stone skin flakes away around their eyes, allowing a terrifying and bright white glow to emanate from them all. Then, in a loud explosion of stone shards and inhumane roars, the four gargoyles freed themselves from their stony exterior, stretching and flexing to rid themselves of the last of it.

"Whoa..." Elisa let out.

"Aw that is cool!" Mikey exclaimed.

"Remarkable." Donnie commented.

"That is a sight I never thought I would see again." Splinter said to himself.

Once all four gargoyles were awake and stone-free, Elisa went to Goliath's side.

"Goliath, are you okay?" she asked.

"Yes." He confirmed, stretching his wings.

"I'm just glad the tranq wore off while you slept." Willow commented.

"Sleep rejuvenates us." Lexington explained.

"Call it a concrete cure-all." Brooklyn added.

"Ok, we've only known you a day and I know you've been hanging with Mikey too much." Raph remarked.

"I happen to think it's catchy." Mikey retorted.

Willow chuckled, then felt her pocket begin to vibrate. She fished into it, pulling out her phone.

"Oh, it's dad." she remarked, answering the call.

"Hey Dad," she greeted. "I-"

She immediately flinched back, pulling the phone away from her ear upon hearing her father's angry voice practically screaming into the receiver.

 _"Willow Juliet Xanatos!"_ Xanatos exclaimed.

She slowly pulled the phone back to her ear.

"Oh… I never told you where I was going..." she remembered, immediately pulling the phone away as the yelling continued.

 _"Where on earth are you?! I've been trying to track your cell phone, but something keeps interfering with the signal!"_

"I… Can't tell you tha-"

 _"Just get back here, now!"_

"Yes sir."

She hung up the phone, looking back at everyone else.

"I am in serious trouble..." she moaned.

"Sorry about that." Leo apologized.

"We… best get you back to the castle." Goliath declared.

"Yeah, I'm sure Hudson's worried about us too." Broadway added.

"Hudson?" Splinter questioned.

"My mentor." Goliath answered, noticing Splinter for the first time. "And you are?"

"Splinter. The turtles' father." he introduced. "You are the one called Goliath, yes?"

Goliath answered Splinter's inquiry with a nod, glancing over at the turtles with a small smile.

"Your sons are honorable warriors." He complimented. "Formidable, yet kind-hearted. You should be proud of them all."

"I am." Splinter confirmed. "If you do not mind, I would be interested in meeting the rest of your clan."

Goliath gave a nod of agreement, then turned to Elisa.

"Perhaps the two of us can see each other later tonight." He offered. "I owe you much for protecting me and my clan."

Elisa smiled.

"I'd like that a lot." she told him.

With not much left to say, Brooklyn scooped up Willow in his arms, the gargoyles taking their leave. The turtles and Splinter all piled into the Battle Shell, following after them. Elisa watched them go, then began her own walk out.

...

At the Eyrie building, Hudson looked out over the city, hoping for some sign of the rest of his clan. Xanatos and Owen stood with him, the former keeping a weather eye on the horizon.

"Any sign of them yet?" Xanatos asked.

"Nothing yet sir." Owen lamented.

Bronx brushed against Hudson's leg, letting out a sad whimpering.

"I know boy." Hudson comforted, petting his head. "I'm worried about them too."

As Owen looked up again, he saw something approaching from the distance. Squinting and adjusting his glasses, he looked out at the figures. Immediately, he seemed to straighten.

"The gargoyles are finally returning." he announced.

"Is Willow with them?" he perked up.

"It would appear so sir." Owen replied.

Xanatos nearly sagged against the edge of the battlements, sighing in relief as the gargoyles landed amongst the group. Almost immediately, the gargoyles were besieged by Bronx, the gargoyle beast barking and licking them all happily. Willow barely had time to fully get to her feet before Xanatos pulled her into a hug.

"Where have you been?" he demanded. "You have no idea how worried I was."

"I'm sorry dad." she apologized. "I fell asleep and I didn't even think to call you. I didn't mean to worry you so badly."

About that time, the elevator opened up, allowing the turtles and Master Splinter into the castle courtyard. Both Owen and Xanatos were taken aback by their sudden appearance, though neither made any hostile movements towards them.

"Well, this is certainly unexpected." Owen commented.

"Dad, Owen, these are some new friends of mine." she announced. "I kinda crashed at their place all day, and for obvious reasons, I couldn't tell you where."

"I see." Xanatos observed. "Well… I suppose any friends of yours are friends of mine."

"So you're the famous David Xanatos." Donnie marveled.

"That I am." Xanatos replied. "And who might you be?"

"Uh, Donatello." Donnie introduced. "I've followed your exploits for quite a while now. Most recently your decision to move this castle here."

"I assume Willow told you about why I chose to do it." Xanatos guessed. "I allowed the press and the tabloids to view me as an eccentric trillionaire with too much time on his hands, knowing they would never believe the truth."

"You don't say." Donnie replied turning to Mikey.

Mikey just averted his eyes, whistling in response.

"I suppose introductions are in order." Willow declared. "The turtle in blue is Leonardo. The red one is Raphael, and the orange one currently acting like he's not listening is Michelangelo."

"Four of the great renaissance artists." Owen noted.

"I approve." Xanatos commented.

"They were my decision." Splinter added. "Renaissance art was a passion of mine in a past life."

"Past life?" Xanatos repeated, raising an eyebrow in question. "I'm assuming that means you were not always an anthropomorphic rat."

"Not always…" Splinter replied hesitantly. "But that life no longer matters to me now."

"I see..." Xanatos said before giving a small nod. "Well, it is a pleasure to meet you all. Thank you for looking after my daughter. Though I hope next time someone will keep me informed as to her whereabouts so I don't spend an entire day worried about her."

"Shouldn't be a problem." Leo reassured.

"Well since you're all here, I suppose now is as good a time as any." Xanatos decided.

"Time for what?" Lexington asked.

"I have a little surprise for you all." Xanatos replied. "Well, for Goliath mostly."

"Me?" Goliath asked.

As he asked this, a figure emerged from the shadows. It was a gargoyle, that much was certain, and a female one to boot. She had light blue skin and wild red hair with a strange golden headband across her brow. She wore a ragged white top and skirt, and when she came fully into view, all of the gargoyles seemed to stare in shock. Perhaps the most taken aback by the she-gargoyle's appearance was Goliath, who looked as though he had seen a ghost.

"It… can't be…" Goliath let out.

"Goliath… my love..." the female gasped, spreading her wings and her arms as she approached him.

The two stared into each other's eyes for a minute, then embraced each other tightly, wrapping their wings around one another. Goliath stroked the female's red hair, and for a second, there almost seemed to be tears in his eyes.

"My Angel… It really is you…"

"Oh Goliath… All the days I have dreamed of you, and this moment."

"Hudson, who is that?" Raph asked.

"Goliath's mate." Hudson answered. "We thought her destroyed with the rest of our clan."

"Yes, I thought the Vikings had destroyed you." Goliath lamented.

"No, my love." The female disagreed, "I feared for your safety, so I went to find you. But I lost my way and the sun rose."

"But how are you still alive…?" Goliath questioned. "Still… Young."

"I returned to the castle to find you frozen in stone." She explained "I found the Magus and begged him to curse me as well."

"I found her a year ago, and was fascinated, so I acquired her for my private collection." Xanatos added. "Then, after you and your clan awoke, I wondered if there would be a similar result from bringing her here. It appears I was right once again."

"If you live," Goliath let out. "Then I can begin to live again."

The two gargoyles just kept embracing as everyone watched, all of them touched by the happy scene. After a moment, they released, the female looking up at Goliath.

"My love, I have a favor to ask of you." She told Goliath.

"You need only to name it." He replied with a small bow.

"Xanatos has told me of property stolen from him during a raid on the castle two nights ago." The female explained "He seeks our aid in retrieving what is rightfully his. I think we should help him in gratitude for reuniting us, if nothing else."

"Wait a minute, stolen property?" Willow let out. "Dad, I thought you went over everything and found nothing missing."

"I took a second look and found several encrypted disks stolen." Xanatos replied. "I've asked Goliath for his assistance in retrieving them. Though he has yet to answer."

"We will help you Xanatos." Goliath decided. "The forces that attacked the castle also tried to take my life last night. Had it not been for the turtles, Willow and Elisa, I doubt my clan and I would have survived."

"We'll help too." Leo volunteered.

"You guys kick butt, but it wouldn't hurt to have some native New Yorkers watching your back." Raph suggested.

"I wouldn't mind working with you guys." Brooklyn declared, slapping Raph on the back of the shell.

"Agreed." Goliath announced. "Perhaps, in the process, we can rid ourselves of the humans who hunt us."

He then turned to his mate, delivering a gentle kiss to the back of her hand.

"Besides, with you by my side once more, I can do anything."

...

The gargoyles gathered in Xanatos' office, and after a quick explanation about what a television was, Xanatos explained what had happened.

"During the raid, the thieves made off with three disks, each containing a crucial piece of information about my latest projects."

"Disks?" Hudson asked.

"Think a magic talisman meant to hold information." Willow explained, holding up a blank disk. "They look like this."

Hudson examined the disk, then passed it around to the trio, who each seemed fascinated with it. Once it reach Willow again, Xanatos continued.

"Luckily, I have been able to discern their locations through the tracer program installed in them." Xanatos explained.

He typed a series of keys into the computer, bring up three separate images.

"One of my corporate rivals, Cyberbiotics, had the disks hidden throughout the city." he explained. "The first is in a research center on a small island in the bay. The second is hidden deep beneath the city in a well-fortified base. The third is located on a floating fortress that flies in a set pattern over the city."

Goliath and the others digested this information.

"So how we gonna play this?" Raph asked.

"These locations need to be hit simultaneously, so the retrieval of the disks will not be any harder than it has to be." Xanatos explained. "I can provide you with what I believe to be the best ways to get into these places, but it will be up to you to get out."

Goliath turned to the female.

"We will take the air fortress." He declared. "Leonardo, I would welcome your aid."

"You'll have it." Leo confirmed.

"Brooklyn, Lexington, Broadway, you three will breach the tower." Goliath continued.

"Raph, Mikey, you two go with them." Leo added.

"We're on it." Mikey reassured.

"Cool!" Brooklyn exclaimed.

"What?" Goliath asked with a raised eyebrow.

Willow blushed.

"He got that from me." She explained. "Cool is a word used to express a positive feeling, like excitement, joy, happiness… you know."

"Ah…" Goliath said after a minute, his tone still indication confusion. "Hudson. You will take the underground stronghold. Take Splinter and Donatello with you."

Hudson seemed a bit miffed about being assigned a team.

"I'm perfectly capable of handling this on my-"

"Take them with you." Goliath insisted.

"Ye think I am incapable of handling such a mission on my own?" Hudson asked accusingly.

"We just feel you could use some aid." Splinter offered.

"Besides, you don't know the city's sewers like we do." Donnie interjected.

Hudson sighed good-naturedly.

"Ye make a solid point, lad." Hudson relented. "Very well, ye can come."

"Take Bronx as well." Goliath added. "He needs the exercise."

Hudson nodded and patted Bronx on the head.

"Please be careful guys." Willow insisted. "I don't need to tell you how most humans treat beings that aren't like them."

Brooklyn looked over at her.

"You're not coming?" he asked.

Willow shook her head.

"I'll just get in your way." She replied dismissively, "But I'll be here when you get back. I promise."

"Well, come on then." Hudson declared. "We don't have all night."

With that, the gargoyles, the turtles, and Master Splinter left the castle, setting out on their respective missions. Willow watched them go, then wandered off to her room to occupy herself until their return. Once they were left alone, Owen and Xanatos shared a serious look.

"The turtles are an unexpected variable." Owen noted. "And a powerful one, if the security footage of the other night is anything to work off of."

"Indeed." Xanatos agreed. "We best keep an eye on the lot of them. Make sure we know what side they're on."

...

The flying fortress soared high above the skies of Manhattan, parting through the clouds like a ship through water. Trailing behind them, both Goliath and his mate glided towards the bottom of the ship, with Leo riding on Goliath's back. Their attempts to reach it were hindered by the powerful downdrafts created by the rotors. They fought against the currents as best they could, grabbing hold of a long antennae for support.

"Shell of a current up here." Leo commented.

"Indeed." Goliath agreed.

Maintaining a firm grip on the antennae, Goliath used his claws to tear a hole in the hull of the ship, pulling himself inside the craft. He then reached down to pull his mate in as well as Leo landed on the ground.

"Let's be cautious moving forward." Leo told them. "The disk is gonna be under heavy guard."

"Of that, I have little doubt." Goliath responded.

"If humans wish to throw away their worthless lives guarding it, that's their concern." The she-gargoyle replied coldly.

Goliath blinked in surprise as he and Leo were caught off guard by her lack of feeling. She glanced back at them, but didn't seem to notice the surprise on their faces.

"This way." She told them, walking down the hallway.

After a short moment of hesitation, they followed her. They marched onward for a short while, then the sound of a pair of guns being cocked halted their progress.

"Hold it right there." A security guard ordered.

The three of them turned, the female with a confident smirk on her face as Leo drew a sword.

"You won't fire those guns in here." She told them, closing in on them with her eyes glowing red. "You could damage the airship."

"Don't bet your life on it, monster." The guard warned, him and his partner training their guns on her.

"My love, stop." Goliath pleaded, reaching out for the female. "It's too risky."

The female ignored both of their words, jumping onto the wall before pouncing on one of the guards. The other steps back in shock, attempting to shoot her. Goliath ran forward, tackling his beloved out of the line of fire. Thinking fast, Leo used his swords to slice through one of many pipes along the corridor's walls, filling the hallway with thick clouds of steam. Goliath quickly used this to his advantage, carrying the female deep into the thick mist and disappearing, Leonardo doing the same.  
The remaining guard ran into the mist, looking around to try and find the two gargoyles and the turtle. Even as the mist faded, the three creatures were nowhere to be seen.

As he continued his search, his companion suddenly came flying out of an adjacent hallway, striking the wall right in front of the guard. He barely had time to turn before he spotted the female stalking towards him, her eyes glowing bright red.

He yelped in fear, then a shadowed loomed behind him. Teeth chattering and sweating like mad, he turned just in time to see Goliath's fist collide with his fist. He fell hard, knocked out cold.

"Come, we must hurry." Goliath insisted, turning to continue onward. "The gunfire may alert the others."

"No need to tell me twice." Leo concurred, sheathing his sword.

Wordlessly, the female grabbed both of the guards, hoisting them into the air before dangling them both over the hole in the floor. Goliath's eyes widened and he grabbed her shoulder.

"What are you doing?!" he demanded.

"I am simply ensuring that they won't cause us anymore trouble." She replied coldly.

"No way!" Leo exclaimed. "You can't just kill them!"

"You carry swords and choose not to use them?" The female remarked. "We gargoyles are no strangers to bloodshed."

"In the heat of battle yes," Goliath admitted. "But not like this."

The she-gargoyle looked at Goliath, then back at the humans in her hand, her expression unreadable. After a few tense seconds, she silently conceded, tossing the guards away.

"Your centuries of slumber have made you weak, Goliath." She told him, stalking off.

"Was she always this...intense?" Leo asked.

Goliath watched her go, a sense of foreboding in his heart as he followed after her.

"No..." he replied solemnly.

...

At the tower, the gargoyles and turtles swooped in low, with Brooklyn and Broadway carrying Raph and Mikey respectively. It was surrounded by a well-fortified wall, but the trio easily flew over it, landing on the roof with ease.

"Man, the magic in this century is so…" Lexington began, stumbling on the last word. "So…"

"Cool?" Brooklyn suggested as he set Raph down.

"Exactly." Lexington agreed.

"Glad you guys are enjoying it." Mikey replied smiling.

"Well, right now we need a way in." Brooklyn remarked before his face brightened. "There."

Everyone turned to see a steal hatchway leading into the building. Broadway set Mikey down, then cracked his knuckles, grabbing onto either side of the door before tearing it off the frame.

"With friends like these, who needs a locksmith?" Raph joked.

"After you." He declared, tossing the door over his shoulder.

The group descended into the building, landing in an empty hallway. There was an elevator almost right next to their entry point, one Brooklyn immediately pried open.

"Xanatos said that the disk was four floors down." He declared, looking down the seemingly bottomless elevator shaft. "But the elevator doesn't seem to be working. Not like the one in the castle."

"How did elevators work there?" Mikey asked.

"Usually when we open the doors, there's this fancy box that is waiting for us." Lexington answered.

"Well around here, we just press a button to call for it." Mikey explained, gesturing to the button next to the door.

"But I don't think we have time to wait for one." Raph realized.

"And the hole's too narrow to glide down." Broadway pointed out.

"Why don't we use this rope?" Lexington suggested, pointing to a set of four elevator cables dangling in the center of the shaft.

Nodding in agreement, the group jump out, grabbing onto one of the cables before sliding down. Once they reached their desired floor, Brooklyn hopped onto the ledge and began prying the doors open. Lexington, Broadway, Raph, and Mikey remained clinging to the cables, sharing confident smiles.

"This is easy." Broadway declared, "We'll have that disk and be home in time for supper."

The two turtles went wide eyed as they turned to the blue gargoyle.

"Dude," Mikey let out turning to him. "Did you just say this was easy?"

"You never say something was easy." Raph told him "Ever!"

"Why not?" Broadway asked.

The doors finally open, revealing several armed guards on the other side, all of them aiming their weapons right at the five of them.

"That's why." Raph answered bluntly.


	4. The Awakening Part 4

The gargoyles and turtles were staring through the opening of the elevator doors, looking down the barrels of at least a dozen weapons aimed right at them.

"Uh… Sorry, wrong floor." Mikey quickly remarked.

The guards open fire on the group, forcing them to take cover back in the elevator shaft. Wasting no time, they scrambled up the wall to the floor above, where Broadway made short work of the door. The five then dove through their new opening just as the guards began firing up the shaft. Once they made it into the hallway, a loud alarm began blaring, putting the entire building on high alert.

"Not exactly the best ninja stealth we've done, is it?" Mikey asked.

"Anybody got a plan B?" Raph questioned.

In the lab on the floor below, several scientists eye the door to the lab nervously. They half expected it to be kicked in at any second. However, the attack didn't come from in front of them. Instead, the ceiling above them suddenly caved in, the lights flickering off for a few seconds before coming back on. When they did, the scientists were horrified to see the three gargoyles and two turtles standing in the center of the lab.

"Evening boys." Raph replied, spinning his sai. "Sorry to bother you."

"We just came to do a little shopping, so maybe you can give us a hand." Mikey added, twirling his Nunchucks.

Brooklyn approached one of the scientists cowering behind his desk, lifting him into the air with ease.

"Where is the disk?" he snarled.

Terrified out of his mind, the scientist gestured to a large computer console behind him. Lexington scampered over to it, surveying the set up.

"You could barely figure out a motorcycle last night." Raph remarked as Lex worked with the console. "How do you expect to-"

"Got it!" Lexington replied, holding up the disk.

Raph was dumbstruck by how quickly Lexington managed to get the disk out of the machine.

"Looks like you just got served." Mikey remarked, causing Raph to elbow him in the chest.

About that time, the guards attempted to enter the room, only for Broadway to slam his entire weight against the door.

"Guys, we need to go!" He declared.

"Well, if a door closes, go for a window!" Mikey exclaimed, smashing a window with his nunchaku.

Without anytime to lose, Brooklyn and Broadway grabbed Raph and Mikey again and took off through their new escape route, leaving the guards to futilely try and shoot them out of the sky.

"Woo!" Lexington cheered, rolling in the air before punching the air. "We did it!"

"Was there ever any doubt?" Mikey asked.

"Not even for a second." Broadway answered.

"C'mon guys." Brooklyn decided. "Let's get back to the castle."

They banked hard, making their way home with their newly acquired prize.

...

At the underground base, a guard marched up to his commander, tapping away at a pad in his hand.

"Sir, central reports that station 1 has been breached." He declared.

"Any details?" the commander questioned.

"Well, if I'm being honest sir, they sounded rather hysterical." The guard replied. "There was talk of… well, monsters."

The commander's eyes narrowed.

"I see…" he mused, "I want security here increased."

...

In the tunnels outside, Hudson, Splinter, Donnie and Bronx approach the base on foot. The old gargoyle glanced around the filthy tunnel, sidestepping to avoid the occasional pool of stagnant water.

"So this is the 'sewers' ye mentioned." Hudson commented.

"Technically, this is a private section of the subway." Donnie corrected. "But still not too far off."

"I do not see how ya live down here." Hudson continued. "The smell alone is… repulsive."

Bronx let out a low whine, pawing at his nose in agreement.

"When you live down here as long as we have, you tend to get used to it." Splinter told him.

"I suppose that it true." Hudson allowed.

As they grew closer to their target, Splinter's ears perked up. He brought up his walking stick, halting Donnie and Hudson in their tracks. Bronx stopped as well, letting out a low growl.

"What is it, Sensei?" Donnie asked in a hushed whisper.

"There is a camera mounted on the wall." he explained quietly.

"Camera?" Hudson asked.

"It's like a sentry." Donnie quickly supplied. "It sees us, and the entire facility will know we're here."

"The camera is not our only obstacle." Splinter pointed out, gesturing to the large metal doors on the opposite end of the tunnel. "That is our only way in."

"Could you pry the doors open Hudson?" Donnie asked.

"In my prime, t'would be a simple task." Hudson admitted, looking down at his hands. "But I'm not as strong as I once was."

He looked back at the door, then at the camera.

"Then again…" he murmured, stroking his beard, "What I now lack in strength, I make up for in wisdom and cunning."

...

Inside, the commander gasped in shock as Hudson appeared on base's security monitors. He immediately summoned a platoon of guards, sending them out to deal with the creature.

Back out with Hudson, the old gargoyle smirked as he heard several guards moving in on him from behind.

"I don't know what you are, but I bet you're not bulletproof." One of the guards told him.

"Aye." Hudson agreed, turning around and lifting his hands in a gesture of surrender. "It's a wager you'd win."

Behind him, the metal doors began to slowly slide open, the guards ushering Hudson inside. Once he makes it a few steps in, Donnie, Splinter, and Bronx came charging out of the shadows. Bronx tackled one of the guards as Hudson dealt with another, tossing him into a trio of guards moving in on the gargoyles. Donnie swung his staff at another trio of guards, knocking them all to the ground. Splinter bashed and knocked back several more guards with his walking stick, not losing momentum for a moment.

Bronx then snarls at the commander, who pulls a pistol out of his jacket.

"What the devil-?!" he began.

Before he could finish, Hudson charged into him, knocking him aside. Unfortunately, this also caused the commander to let off a stray shot, one that struck the computer console and set it ablaze. Scientists and guards alike scattered as the fire spread.

"Donatello!" Splinter called out. "Recover the disk!"

"On it!" Donnie called back.

Donnie quickly made his way over to the console and got to working finding the disk. When some info on the screen popped up regarding the disks content, Donnie became confused.

"What on…" he let out.

"Lad! Time is not on our side here!" Hudson reminded.

Donnie snapped back into the moment and pressed the necessary buttons to eject the disk.

"Got it!" He yelled, grabbing the disk and bolting.

"Come then, we're leaving!" Hudson declared.

Bronx, who had been keeping a trio of guards pinned down behind a desk, immediately heeded Hudson's call. As he did so, the commander finally managed to recover from Hudson's attack. He pulled himself up onto the security console, slamming his fist onto the emergency button. An alarm began sounding as the large metal doors began to slide close.

Seeing their only exit slowing growing smaller, Hudson, Splinter, Donnie, and Bronx picked up the pace. They dove through the door just as he slammed shut, nearly taking off Hudson's tail. He stopped just on the other side of the door, panting slightly and rubbing his back.

"I'm getting too old for this…" he complained.

"I know how you feel." Splinter remarked, a hand on his chest as he tried to catch his breath.

Down the tunnel, the four could hear an army of guards coming closer, already letting lose several shots. The fours immediately dart up a nearby ladder, escaping through a side tunnel. The guards followed in hot pursuit.

As they ran, they soon found themselves trapped in a caged catwalk above a subway tunnel.

"We'll be sitting ducks in here, right enough." Hudson growled.

Donnie looked out onto the track and saw a bright light coming towards them.

"We just need to hold out for a few more seconds." Donnie told them.

The guards were closing in fast, firing down the tunnel and forcing the four to keep running through the catwalk. Down below, the sounds of a subway train filled the tunnel, much to Donnie and Splinter's relief.

"I take it that will be our escape." Hudson deduced.

"Indeed." Splinter confirmed. "It is time we teach you what a subway is."

Hudson then tore off a section of the fencing surrounding the catwalk, then both he and Bronx jumped onto the train as it passed underneath them, with Splinter and Donnie following suit. The guards skid to a halt in front of Hudson's impromptu exit, watching the four creatures disappear down the tunnel.

Soon, the tunnel opens up onto a section of open track. Hudson wasted no time grabbing Bronx and spreading his wings. The sheer wind force was just enough to pull them off the train and allow them to safely launch into the air. Splinter pulled a grappling rope out of his robe, swinging it at a passing lamp post as Donnie grabbed hold of him. Once the rope connected, the two were pulled off of the subway, allowing them to swing to safety.

They landed on a rooftop as Hudson and Bronx came down. The two gargoyles landed hard, rolling for a bit before coming to a stop. Bronx immediately began assaulting Hudson with slobbering dog kisses before Hudson good-naturedly pushed him off.

"Away with ye." He told the gargoyle dog, rotating his arms a bit. "You need to be losing some weight, and that's a fact."

Bronx let out a small whine as Hudson sat up.

"Ye have the disk lad?" He asked, turning to Donnie.

"Right here." Donnie reassured holding it up.

"I hope this wee thing is worth the aches I'll be feeling later." He remarked, glancing up at the disk,

"Me too…" Donnie let out.

...

On board the airship, the captain of the vessel was approached by the head of the security team.

"Stations 1 and 2 have been breached?!" The captain exclaimed. "Then we've lost two-thirds of the data!"

The door to the bridge was kicked down, drawing everyone's attention. They turned to see Goliath, Leo and the female emerge from the darkened hallway behind them.

"Wrong." The female corrected the captain. "You've lost all of it."

"Sorry to disappoint." Leo quipped.

Goliath moved in on the guards, his wings raised in a show of power. They raised their weapons to fire, but Goliath merely whipped around, striking them with his tail before they had the chance. He then picked up the Captain, who struggled in his grip.

"W-what are you?" he stammered.

Goliath remained silent, keeping his grip on the captain as the female went over to the computer console. Several other guards tried shooting at Leo, but he easily dodged around and deflected the bullets. Finally, he went in close and sliced the guns in half. Before the guards could react, Leo spun kicked both of them to the ground, taking them out.

With accuracy surprising for a being who had supposedly just awoken in this time period, the she-gargoyle ejected the disk, snagging it quickly and holding it up.

"Mission accomplished." She declared.

"Great." Leo replied. "Let's go before more trouble shows up."

"I don't think we'll have to worry about that." She told him, her eyes spotting a few key wires poking out from under the console.

With a quick swipe of her clawed feet, she tore through them with ease, grabbing a handful of them. She then proceeded to shove the wires right into the machinery itself. The entire system began to smoke and spark before bursting into flames.

"My angel, what have you done?!" Goliath gasped, dropping the Captain in his shock.

"No time!" the female told him as alarms began going off. "We must flee!"

"What about the people trapped on here?" Leo asked.

"Leave them!" The female insisted.

"What?!" Leo exclaimed. "We can't just-"

Before he could finish, there was a second explosion, one outside the control room. Outside the window, he could see one of the engines bursting into flames.

Goliath remained rooted in place, watching as the humans of the ship tried desperately to put out the fire. He did not even hear the female kick open an escape hatch.

"Goliath, this way!" she insisted.

"We cannot leave the humans!" Goliath retorted, turning to go aid them.

With a feral growl, the she-gargoyle grabbed Goliath's hand and the back of Leo's shell, dragging them both towards the escape hatch. She forced them both through it, the two gargoyles gliding away from the ship as it began to slowly descend into the Hudson. Goliath turned back, watching helplessly as it crashed into the water with a heavy splash, Leo doing the same from the female's grip. They both turned away, the trio silently making their way back to the castle.

Down below, near the water's edge, Elisa's car pulled up along the entrance to the main bridge. She scrambled out of her car, running forward and gasping at the few men that poured from the ever burning fortress. Her eyes then drifted skyward, up the cloud of smoke that was forming, and she blinked in surprise when she saw a pair of silhouettes gliding away from the wreck

"Goliath?" she voiced quietly.

…

Back at the castle, Goliath, Leo, and the female returned. The others made it back as well and were waiting for them with Willow and Xanatos.

"Leo, about time you got back!" Raph shouted.

"Yeah, we thought you'd be the first one back here!" Mikey added.

"Did ye get the disk ye were after?" Hudson questioned.

"That we did." Leo confirmed.

The female handed over the disk to Xanatos with a smirk. Xanatos took it, grinning.

"My friends, you have my profound thanks." He told them. "Rest assured that the information on the disks will be put to beneficial use for human and gargoyle alike."

"You have fun with that, dad." Willow told him, grabbing Brooklyn and Lexington by the hands. "C'mon. I want to teach you guys how to play videogames. Plus, I ordered enough Pizza to feed an army of gargoyles"

She dragged the two off, Broadway quickly following after.

"Hey!" he called out. "Wait for me!"

Mikey and Raph both grinned as well, taking off after them

"Don't leave us out of that action!" Mikey called out.

Xanatos chuckled, then walked off with the collection of disks. Goliath turned to leave as well, but his mate quickly stopped him.

"Where are you going?" she questioned.

"I promised a friend that I would meet with her." Goliath explained. "I will return."

"A friend?" The female asked suspiciously. "Who? We are all that remains of our kind."

"She is a human." Goliath clarified. "A Detective Elisa Maza."

"Outside of Xanatos and his child, we have no human friends." The female argued. "Nor should we. Humanity is our enemy, Goliath. I thought you learned that a millennium ago."

"I cannot make with an entire world." Goliath retorted. "Doesn't Xanatos and Willow prove that there are good humans as well as bad?"

"How can you so easily forgive the humans for what they did to our kind?" The female growled.

"The humans responsible for that tragedy have been dead for over a thousand years." Goliath reminded her.

"Then their descendants shall pay!" she shouted, erupting into a furious anger. "I will have blood for blood!"

Goliath looked down at his mate coldly, remembering what she had told him back on the airship.

"You claimed that the centuries of slumber have changed me, but the same can be said for you." He told her. "You have become hard and unforgiving… you are not as I remember you."

The female's features softened, her anger giving way to shock and disbelief. Goliath then walked to the edge of the battlements, spreading his wings.

"Elisa is waiting for me." He stated.

"Then go…" the female growled.

Silently, he took off into the night.

"Pretty harsh don't you think?" Leo asked her.

She elected to ignore Leo, stalking off deeper into the castle.

"What's up with her?" Donnie inquired, walking over to Leo.

"I don't know." He admitted. "But she seems a little unstable. She crashed the airship into the Hudson after we got the disk."

"What?!" Donnie and Splinter let out.

"Yeah, I couldn't believe it either." Leo told them. "There's definitely something up with her."

"She might not be the only one." Donnie added.

"What do you mean Donatello?" Splinter asked.

"When we were in the underground base, I got a quick look at the data on that disk." Donnie informed. "It wasn't a lot, but it looked like some kind of robotics programming, and not the friendly kind."

"Why would Xanatos have such programming?" Splinter pondered.

"I'm not sure." Leo replied. "But I know someone who might be able to help."

"Then you two go." Splinter told them. "I will stay with the others just in case."

"I just hope Goliath doesn't mind us crashing his date." Donnie joked.

…

In Xanatos' office, he and Owen watched the entire exchange on the former's computer. With a sigh, Xanatos closed his computer, rising to his feet.

"Goliath, it seems, is too hard to control." he decided. "A pity."

"And the turtles are proving to be an even bigger nuisance than we anticipated." Owen added. "They will have to be dealt with."

"Them, along with the gargoyles." Xanatos declared.

...

Elisa waited on the nearby rooftop where she had initially met up with Goliath. Once he landed in front of her, she practically ran to his side, a worried look on her face.

"Where have you been?" she questioned. "I've been looking for you all over the city."

"Why?" Goliath asked curiously.

"Three Cyberbiotics installations were robbed, and all three of them report being attacked by monsters." She explained. "More than that, I saw you and another gargoyle gliding away from the Floating Fortress wreck. Please tell me you have a good explanation for this."

"My clan and I were retrieving property stolen from Xanatos." Goliath informed her. "And as for the wreck… it was not my idea."

"Was it Xanatos'?" Elisa wondered.

"No, it was a new friend." Leo called out.

Elisa and Goliath turned to see Leo and Donnie landing on the rooftop.

"Sorry to drop in like this," Donnie apologized. "But our little errand for Xanatos has raised a few questions for us."

"I think I found the reason why." Elisa replied, pulling a piece of paper out of her pocket.

The three took a look at the paper to see a blown up version of a beetle manufacturer's label.

"That's the same symbol we saw on the tracker those thugs used to find Goliath." Donnie recalled.

"Well, I did some research on a logo I found on it." She told him. "It's the symbol for Scarab Corp, a robotics firm owned by Xanatos Enterprises."

Goliath's eyes widened, taking the paper in confusion.

"But, that doesn't make any sense." He voiced. "Are you saying that Xanatos arranged for us to be attacked in the park?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Elisa declared. "Heck, he probably planted the bug himself."

"But...why?" Leo asked. "What would he have to gain?"

"Those were the same mercenaries that stole the disks from him in the first place." Goliath explained.

"So if you were attacked, it would probably give you guys the incentive to go after them." Donnie deduced. "But why have armed thugs steal his own property unless…"

"The disks were never his to begin with." Goliath pieced together.

"I did a check on Xanatos' property." Elisa chimed in. "Nothing was stolen from Xanatos Enterprises. Those disks were Cyberbiotics property. He have staged the robbery to trick you and your clan into stealing them for him. He used you, and he had been using you from the beginning."

His eyes glowing brightly, Goliath turned away from Elisa.

"What are you going to do?" Leo asked, almost dreading his answer.

"Make him pay." Goliath answered about to take off.

Before he could get far, Elisa quickly, yet gently, pulled him back, making him face her.

"Goliath, I know we haven't known each other very long." She admitted. "And I know you have no reason to trust humans. However, you have to trust someone in this world, and I think you'd be better off with me than Xanatos."

Goliath looked down at the paper, then up at Elisa.

"You have friends in us too." Leo reassured. "No matter what."

With a growl, he crumpled the paper in his hand. Elisa smiled at that, understanding what it meant.

"You won't regret it." She promised.

"Come," Goliath spoke. "We have to warn the others."

…

In the castle, Xanatos stood before five tall figures. Each one was covered in a large, white sheet.

"I'm afraid the gargoyles have outlived their usefulness," he declared, his voice even. "I can't count on their loyalty anymore. However, with the data on the disks, I can bring their replacements online."

Owen glanced down at his watch, noting the time.

"Sunset is in approximately three hours." He announced. "Once the sun comes up, we can easily dispose of the gargoyles. I'm certain we can come up with a believable scenario for Miss Willow should she ask where her new friends ran off to."

"No." The female interrupted, walking into the room. "The turtles will still defend them during the day. Besides, you need to test these replacements, do you not?"

"And Miss Willow?" Owen questioned.

"I'm certain they can arrange for her to be out of the way." She offered up, giving the two men a malicious smirk.

…

Meanwhile in another part of the castle. Lexington, Brooklyn, Raph, and Mikey were engaged in a high stakes game of Mario Kart, with Mikey taking the lead.

"Give it up now guys." Mikey insisted. "You are no match for my master gaming skills."

"Spam the X button, Brooklyn!" Willow insisted. "The X!"

"Hey!" Raph called out. "No outside help!"

"You're just upset she decided to help me." Brooklyn remarked.

"Y, A, then B Brooklyn!" Willow ordered. "NOW!"

Brooklyn followed the directions given to him and he zoomed past Mikey towards the finish line.

"Yes!" Both he and Willow cheered at the same time.

"No!" Mikey let out. "I was so close...so close…"

"Don't worry bro." Raph reassured, patting him on the shell. "We'll get em next time."

"Yeah right." Brooklyn declared. "Good luck with-"

All of a sudden, the remote in his hand was blasted to pieces by a laser shot emanating from the courtyard.

"What the shell?!" Raph let out, springing to his feet and drawing his sai.

Everyone was immediately on edge as five metal figures flew up out of the courtyard. They appeared to be robotic duplicates of Goliath.

"Whoa!" Mikey exclaimed. "Robo-gargoyles!"

Down in the courtyard, Owen, Xanatos and the female all looked up at the metal gargoyles, Xanatos activating a microphone attached to his wrist.

"Attack." he ordered.

The robots obliged and began blasting at them. The gargoyles and turtles all scattered. Willow went to do the same, but was intercepted by one of the robots.

"Willow!" Brooklyn exclaimed as he tried flying after her.

Before he could reach her though, another robot came out of nowhere and tackled him to the ground. As Brooklyn collided with the ground with the robot still on top of him, Raph jumped on top of the robot and drove his sai into its back.

"Thanks for the save." Brooklyn told him.

"No sweat." Raph replied. "Now why don't you go save your girlfriend?"

Brooklyn almost took off, then looked back at Raph.

"What's a girlfriend?"

"It's a… you know what, can I explain when we're not fighting for our lives?!" Raph asked.

"Right." Brooklyn agreed before taking off after Willow.

Raph then leapt off the robot as it slowly turned towards him, still sparking from the stab wounds.

"Ready for round 2 sparky?" Raph asked.

The robot turned to Raph, a small laser gun poking from his arm.

"Well look at you." Raph remarked. "Aren't we trying to impress."

The gargoyle began to open fire, Raph easily dodging each shot.

"Is that all you got?" Raph replied, deflecting a few blasts with a sai.

Across the courtyard, Broadway and Lexington were frantically dodging the laser blasts of the other robots. Broadway saw the robot holding Willow toss her into one of the towers, slamming the door shut and snapping the handle off to keep her inside.

"Those creatures trapped Willow!" he shouted. "We gotta help her!"

"Not gonna be easy with these things tailing us!" Lexington reminded.

As one of the robots flew after them, a chain wrapped around it, halting it in his tracks. The robot looked down to see Mikey pulling on the chain. The robot then rocketed forward, pulling Mikey along with him.

"I did not think this through!" Mikey shouted as he was pulled along.

Broadway then flew alongside Mikey.

"Ned a lift?" he offered.

"If it's no trouble." Mikey replied.

Broadway then grabbed Mikey's hand, allowing the turtle to drop his nunchaku so the two could return to the safety of the castle's solid ground.

"Thanks." Mikey replied.

"Not a problem." Broadway replied. "Now we just need to find-"

That's when a laser blast connected with his back, causing him to fall over hard.

"Broadway!" Mikey exclaimed.

Mikey became angry as a robot landed on the ground. He pulled out his other nunchaku as he ran towards the robot.

"Come on tin man!" Mikey let out, striking it in the face. "Show me what you got! Show me what you got! Show me what you-"

The robot shut him up by grabbing his nunchaku in his hand.

"Uh… Never mind." Mikey gulped. "I think I've seen enough."

The robot tossed the nunchaku aside and began to close in on him. Before he could make a move though, Splinter's walking stick came out of nowhere and embedded itself in the robots head.

"You will not harm my son!" He declared, freeing his stick from the robot's head.

The robot dropped to its knees before falling completely over.

"Nice timing, Sensei." Mikey complimented.

"Where is your brother?" Splinter asked quickly.

Mikey looked around for a bit before seeing Raph still duking it out with his own robot.

"Down there." Mikey answered. "Though I think he's got a handle on things."

Back with Raph, he continued avoiding and deflecting the laser blasts dealt to him. Finally, the robot got a lucky shot in and blasted him in the chest, knocking him to the ground. As Raph tried pulling himself up the robot loomed over him ready to fire. Just then, a sword pierced through the robots chest.

"Ya best take better care of yourself lad." Hudson told him.

"Thanks for the save Hudson." Raph replied, throwing his sai in the robot's head.

The combined amount of damages caused the robot to explode, launching both combatants back. Raph ended up getting slammed right into the tower where Willow was currently trapped.

"Raphael!" she shouted, banging on the door. "Get me out of here!"

"Hang on!" Raph called out, heading for the door.

He tried opening it, but it was stuck tight.

"Stay back from the door." Raph warned, backing up a bit.

"Raph, it's reinforced!" she tried to tell him. "You'll break your hand if you try to break it down!"

"Good thing I'm not using my hand." Raph remarked before running forward.

After running a bit, Raph jumped a bit and turned around, heading towards the door shell first. The impact broke clean through the door, shattering it as he fell to the ground.

"Tada." he let out grunting.

Willow looked down at him, then gestured to a window next to the door.

"You could have just broken through the glass." she suggested, holding out her hand. "Though I'm not about to look a gift turtle in the mouth."

"No one said a rescue had to be pretty." Raph replied getting back up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have robots to bash."

Raph ran back out into the battle, ready to kick some metal shell. Before Willow could leave the room, Leo, Donnie, and Goliath landed right in front of her.

"Guys!" she shouted. "These robots came out of nowhere! They attacked the guys and locked me in the tower!"

"So this is what Xanatos wanted with the disks." Donnie deduced.

"Wait, what?" Willow asked in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Willow," Leo spoke. "Xanatos set up the robbery. Those disks were Cyberbiotics property, not his."

Her eyes widened.

"He… he lied to us?" she stammered.

"Then you did not know of his plans." Goliath assumed.

Willow shook her head.

"No, I swear!" she promised. "If I had known what he was planning I would have-"

She cut herself off, realization dawning.

"Wait a minute, these robots are dad's creations, right?" she asked.

"Yeah," Donnie confirmed. "So?"

"So, I can shut them down all at once." Willow informed him. "I just need them all within earshot."

"We can manage that." Goliath reassured.

Goliath then placed Willow on his back and jumped off the battlements, taking off into the sky.

"Once we get close, I suggest you cover your ears." Willow warned. "I'm going to be pretty loud."

Goliath nodded and covered his ears. Willow took a deep breath, then let out a shout.

"GOODFELLOW!"

The word reverberated through the castle, and all of the remaining robots immediately shut down. Their weapons retreated back into their arms and they all stood at attention, essentially dead. Willow let out a sigh of relief, sagging against Goliath's back.

"It worked..." she said happily, "Jalapeña..."

"Goodfellow?" Leo asked.

"Robin Goodfellow, or Puck, is one of my favorite characters in Midsummer Night's Dream." Willow explained. "The word itself is a failsafe code dad installed into all of his tech should it go rogue, like it did tonight."

"Nice." Donnie commented as Brooklyn landed near them.

"Willow, are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay." she promised as she slid off of Goliath's back. "I just can't believe Xanatos would do something like this."

"Believe it, child." the female gargoyle's voice declared.

Everyone turned to see the female emerge from the top of a nearby tower, Xanatos by her side. She then aimed a rocket launcher at Goliath and the rest of the group as Xanatos aimed his own weapon down at them.

"Willow, I must insist that you go to your room immediately." he declared.

"No way in hell." Willow swore as Brooklyn ushered her behind him.

Goliath stepped forward, his eyes wide as he stared up at his beloved mate.

"You too, my love?" Goliath asked in disbelief.

"I am only doing what must be done." she argued. "I thought I could make you see reason, but you are as blind and foolish as you were all those centuries ago."

"Is it foolish to want to preserve life?" Goliath countered.

"It is when the lives you wish to preserve care nothing for us!" She snapped. "Look around you Goliath! We are the last of our kind, our people shattered in their sleep by humans who would never understand us! Even your troll friends and their rat-guardian can attest to this. Why do you think they reside in the bowels of this wretched city, forced to remain in the shadows?!"

"Humans can be judgmental and cruel," Leo admitted. "I can conceded that, but that doesn't justify murder."

"Even if it is to preserve our kind?!" she threw back. "That is what I am doing. It is what I always have done."

Goliath raised a non-existent eyebrow at that.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Even from the beginning, all I have cared about was keeping our clan safe from those who would seek to destroy it." She said, her entire body shaking with sorrow. "That's why I made the deal with the Captain of the Guard. If you had only taken the rest of the clan with you, the Massacre would never have come to pass! The castle would have been ours and ours alone, and all of our brethren would have survived!"

"What?!" Goliath exclaimed. "You betrayed them?! You betrayed us?!"

"No, you betrayed us!" She spat. "You turned your back on your clan, and because of that, they all were shattered! I survived because I do not trust anyone."

"But why did you do it?" he demanded.

"You dare to ask me that?! After the way they treated us?!" The she-gargoyle shrieked. "They had to pay! All humans have to pay for what they did to our kind!"

The entire time this was going on, the turtles slunk into the shadows, taking Willow with them. Leo ushered her up a set of stairs as the exchange between Goliath and his ex-mate continued.

"There is good and evil in all of us." Goliath told her. "Human, gargoyle, and even mutant. You should know that more than anyone! Don't you see? None of this would have happened if it weren't for you."

The she-gargoyle's eyes widened in rage, glowing a bright red.

"Don't say that!" she demanded, then leveled her gun at him once more. "This is your last chance! Humanity is a poison that must be purged from this planet! Together you and I can create a new world for our kind!"

She lowered her gun again, the glow from her eyes fading. She walked over to Goliath slowly.

"You trusted me once." She said softly. "You loved me once. We have found each other once again after a thousand years of solitude. Does that mean nothing to you?"

Goliath just turned away and sighed.

"I'm sorry…" he told her.

"Very well…" She sighed, her eyes becoming red once more, "If you are not my ally, then you are my enemy…"

She leveled the gun and fired, and Goliath just barely dodged, landing flat on his back. The female quickly stepped forward, pinning him to the ground with her clawed foot, and aiming the gun at his face.

"Goliath!" the others cried out.

"Get away from him you freak!" Raph called out.

"I am so not giving you a name!" Mikey told her.

"I have no need for you to." The female told him, coldly. "The humans gave me a name a long time ago. I am… Demona."

Leo readied his sword as Demona aimed her gun at Goliath, but before he could react, something unexpected happened.

"NO!" Willow screamed.

Demona turned to see Willow barreling towards her. She knocked Demona back and the gun fired, the shot hitting one of the castle towers and sending it crashing down. One of the stray rocks struck Xanatos on the back of the neck, knocking him unconscious. No longer held at gunpoint, the gargoyles ran to the aid of their leader.

Leo ran towards Demona and Willow as they struggled to their feet. Before Demona could make a move towards her, Leo tackled her back to the ground just as the top of the falling tower began to fall towards them. Demona kicked Leo into a nearby wall as the tower landed with a crash, shattering the wall where the three stood. Leo quickly grabbed a bit of wall as both Demona and Willow began to plummet to the city below. Willow's screams echoed through the sky as the wind whipped around her. However, her fall was quickly interrupted by Brooklyn swooping down after her, grabbing her arm not a few seconds after her fall had begun.

"I got you Willow." He assured her. "I got you."

Leo struggled to hang on as the rocks he grabbed began to crack. Finally, the block broke, but before Leo fell, Goliath grabbed him by the arm. Leo smiled in response as Goliath pulled him up.

"Thanks." He replied.

Goliath gave a small nod, pulling Leo to safety. Brooklyn landed next to them both, still holding onto Willow.

"I have got to stop falling off of this blasted castle." she said, pulling herself closer.

"At least you'll have me to catch you." Brooklyn reassured.

"What do you think happened to Demona?" Leo asked, looking back over the city.

"I wish I knew." Goliath lamented.

A low groan emanated from off to the side. Everyone turned to see Xanatos slowly regaining consciousness.

"Oh right." Leo remembered. "Forgot about him."

Goliath just growled as he walked over to Xanatos.

"She wanted me to destroy humanity." Goliath told him as he picked him up and dangled him over the edge. "I think I'll start with you!"

"Go ahead." Xanatos dared. "Without me you'd still be gathering moss."

Willow immediately went wide eyed, pulling herself from Brooklyn's grip and grabbing Goliath's arm.

"No, stop!" she begged.

"You can't kill him." Leo insisted.

"And why not?" Goliath asked.

"Because if you do, you'll be no better than Demona." Leo told him.

"More than that, he is Willow's father." Splinter added. "Would you truly deprive a child of her only family?"

Goliath snarled a bit before tossing Xanatos onto the steps.

"No… I would not." he replied.

…

Sometime later, the police arrived and arrested Xanatos for possession of stolen goods. Elisa personally slapped the cuffs of him herself.

"That really is satisfying." Mikey commented as he and the others watched from above.

"Good riddance to bad rubbish." Raph remarked.

Willow did not share their enthusiasm. She let out a small sigh, hugging her legs in contemplation.

"I wonder what's going to happen to me now." she said to herself. "Will I have to leave the castle? I mean, I don't have any other family."

"Whatever happens," Brooklyn spoke, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We'll be there for you."

She looked back at him, then smiled, leaning into him. Goliath smiled at this before looking towards the horizon and seeing the rising sun.

"Dawn nears." Goliath told them.

"Then we best be going." Leo decided. "Same time tomorrow Goliath?"

"I'm actually meeting Elisa tomorrow." Goliath told him. "Said something about a 'giant's game'."

"Well I hope you have fun." Leo replied chuckling.

As the trio took their places on the battlements, Brooklyn turned to Willow real quick.

"Hey Willow, I've been meaning to ask you something." he told her. "Raphael called you my 'girlfriend' earlier. Any idea what that means?"

Willow blinked in confusion as the gargoyles were petrified by the sun's rays. She then turned to Raphael, visibly blushing.

"Did you seriously call me that?" she asked.

"Hey, I call em as I see em." Raph remarked, smirking.

This got all of the turtles laughing merrily as the sun began to rise, signaling the beginning of a new dawn for the city.


	5. Dragons Brew

Some time had passed since Xanatos and Demona were defeated, and the gargoyles and turtles had become close friends. In fact, the turtles had practically become nocturnal, spending most of their nights up in the castle with their new friends.

As the sun began to set, Donnie pulled the Battle Shell up to the doors of the Eyrie building, where Willow was waiting for them eagerly.

"Hey guys!" she called out. "You're just in time."

"Aw yeah!" Mikey let out. "It's Showtime!"

"You seem rather chipper tonight, Willow." Donnie noted. "Something happen."

"I've got some good news, but I want to make sure everyone can hear it." Willow informed him. "C'mon, Elisa's already up there waiting."

The turtles followed Willow to the elevator, where Owen stood with his usual stoic expression.

"Going up?" he asked, already pressing the button.

"We'd like to, but your tone is bringing us down." Mikey joked chuckling.

Owen let out a small cough, one Leo swore was hiding a small snicker.

"Enjoy your visit, turtles." Owen said as he recovered, the doors to the elevator closing on the six of them.

The group just stood silently as the car went up.

"You know, I read these things used to play music." Donnie commented.

"Me too." Willow agreed, looking up at the ceiling curiously. "I wonder why they stopped."

"I couldn't tell you." Owen replied.

Eventually, the doors opened up and the five riders quickly entered the courtyard, where Elisa was waiting for them.

"About time you got here." she announced. "Your dad hold you after class?"

"Hey, even ninjas have to contend with New York traffic." Leo remarked.

"True." Elisa allowed. "Frankly, I'm just surprised that Owen even lets any of us up here. I mean, you guys did kick his boss' butt, and I threw him in jail."

"Yeah, Xanatos told him that you guys were welcome to come and go as you please." Willow explained. "Between you and me, I think he's trying to butter me up."

"Well it doesn't sound like it's working." Raph noted.

"Not even a little." Willow confirmed.

Finally, the sun went down. All parties present turned towards the gargoyles stone forms. Very slowly, they all began to crack, the stone skin shattering as all six gargoyles stretched and howled. Willow let out a sigh of contentment.

"That will never not be cool." she declared.

"My words exactly." Mikey agreed.

The gargoyles then glided down to the turtles and humans below.

"Good evening everyone." Goliath greeted them.

"Hey Willow." Brooklyn said, landing in front of her.

"Hey Brook." she replied, giving him a hug.

"Aww, look at you two." Mikey joked, earning him a slap from Brooklyn's wing.

Once Brooklyn released her, she stepped back, running her fingers through her hair.

"Guys, I have some news." she declared. "As you know, I have been dealing with the family court ever since Xanatos' arrest."

"How's that going anyway?" Donnie asked.

"Well, a verdict was reached earlier this evening." Willow explained. "And… I get to stay at the castle!"

"Alright!" Brooklyn exclaimed.

"That's great." Mikey complimented.

"Congratulations Willow." Goliath told her.

"Eyup." Willow agreed. "Owen stepped forward and agreed to take temporary custody of me. Of course, once Xanatos is released from prison, custody will be turned over to him once more."

"Well, I say we go out and celebrate!" Mikey declared.

"Sounds like a plan to me Mike." Leo agreed.

"But where can we go that will welcome us?" Broadway asked.

The turtles all exchanged looks, grinning widely.

"I think we know just the place." Raph declared.

...

After a bit of driving and flying, the turtles, gargoyles, and humans arrived at a Japanese noodle shop. The gargoyles landed on the roof of the building, Broadway sniffing the air as he began salivating.

"Man, this place smells great." he declared.

"I've never been to this place before." Willow remarked as Brooklyn set her down. "What is it?"

"Murakami's noodle shop." Donnie answered. "We go here all the time."

"So how do you manage to not get thrown out by the owner?" Elisa asked. "Trench coats and fedoras?"

"Funny." Raph remarked. "Let's just go inside and you can see for yourself."

As they approached the place though, they saw several shadows moving about. Immediately, all non-human members of the party took cover in the darkness, Elisa and Willow peeking through the window.

"What's happening in there?" Leo asked.

Elisa pulled her gun from her belt, Willow scooting out of her way.

"Looks like a group of gang members trying to rough up the shop owner." Elisa answered. "From the tacky outfits and matching tattoos, I'd say they're purple dragons."  
"Those thugs you told us about that night?" Brooklyn asked.

"That's them." Raph confirmed.

"You four head in through the back." Elisa ordered. "Goliath, you and the rest of the gargoyles watch the door should any of them make a run for it. Brooklyn, keep Willow out of danger."

"Like you have to ask." Brooklyn replied.

Inside the shop, the leader of the purple dragons, dubbed Dragon Face, shoved Murakami against the counter. Murakami slowly got up as Dragon Face walked over to him.

"Look Murakami, we don't mean any trouble." Dragon Face told him. "We just need a little, 'capital' to help us get through these dark times. So you can just give us access to the register, or-"

Just then, Murakami turned to face him, conking Dragon Face on the head with a frying pan. Dragon Face stumbles back a bit, holding his head in pain and groaning in irritation.

"Angel, talk to him." he ordered.

Angel, a teenage girl with bright purple hair in pigtails stepped forward, cracking her knuckles while trying to look tough.

"Listen Gramps, just fork over the cash and this doesn't have to get ugly." she threatened.

"I sense a hint of hesitation in your voice." Murakami noted. "I do not think you want to hurt me."

Angel blinked at that, taken aback by his abruptness. She steeled herself, grabbing the front of Murakami's apron and pulling back her fist.

"I will if I have to, Gramps." she warned. "Now open the register before-"

At that moment, the door to the shop burst open, and Elisa entered. She held out her badge in one hand, her gun in her other hands.

"NYPD!" she shouted. "Everybody freeze!"

The dragons looked up surprised at her presence, but were quick to react. A few of them pulled out several makeshift weapons of their own, like pipes, chains, and knives. One such knife was held by Dragon Face, who grabbed Murakami and put it to his throat, much to both Elisa's and Angel's surprise.

"Not so fast copper." Dragon Face threatened. "One more step and the noodle man becomes mincemeat."

"Hey, he's more than a noodle man!" Mikey called out indignantly. "Have you tried his Pizza Gyoza?"

The dragons turned around to see the turtles standing before them. Raph quickly pulled out a throwing star and tossed it at the knife, knocking it out of Dragon Face's hand.

"Not these freaks again." Dragon Face let out, nursing his hand. "Get them!"

The Dragons all charged at the turtles, who readied themselves for battle. One dragon in a brown vest and yellow shirt, tried swinging his knife at Raph, but missed with every strike.

"Fancy weapon you got there pal." Raph admitted. "Let's see you use it."

"You're asking for it, pal." the dragon threatened. "I'm gonna cut you into turtle burgers."

"Ok, that didn't make any sense." Raph remarked as he swatted the knife out of his hand and punched him in the face.

Mikey meanwhile was flipping around a dragon with a purple Mohawk and 80's goggles trying to swing a chain at him.

"Dude, you're bringing back the Mohawk." Mikey complimented, landing on the ground. "Good for you."

"Oh, you got jokes, huh?" the dragon asked. "Well try laughing at this!"

The dragon tried swinging his chain at him again, but Mikey just grabbed it and pulled him in close, kicking him in the chest and sending him right into the dragon Raph was fighting. The two landed on the ground with a thud.

"Hey!" the dragon in the vest called out. "Watch it Bebop!"

"Sorry, Rocksteady." Bebop apologized.

Donnie meanwhile, was duking it out with a rather large dragon in a sleeveless blue shirt and welding a pipe. He clashed the pipe with Donnie's staff multiple times, neither one getting an advantage over the other. Finally, Donnie activated the blade function on his staff and sliced through the pipe. Before the two ton dragon could react, Donnie retracted the blade and struck him in the gut, causing him to kneel over in pain.

During the fight, Elisa made her way over to Murakami and ushered him to safety.

"This way sir." She told him.

"Thank you." Murakami replied.

Leo meanwhile, was avoiding several swings from Angel, who grabbed a kitchen knife off the counter.

"Aren't you a little young to be in with the Purple Dragons?" Leo asked.

"No, no I'm not!" She insisted, swinging the knife at him.

Leo quickly knocked the knife out of her hands and shoved her against the wall. He was about to make another move when he saw some actual fear on her face. This wasn't like the other dragons, she honestly looked like just some kid who was in over her head. Angel took advantage of his pause and shoved him aside, bolting for the door. She ran right past the gargoyles, only to get snatched up by Goliath.

"Where do you think you're going?" he growled.

Angel froze in fear at the sight before her. Inside, the rest of the dragons were trying to make a similar retreat to Angel's, but were all intercepted by the gargoyles. Taking one look at the monstrous figures before them, they turned in the other direction and bolted. Goliath prepared to incapacitate Angel, but Leo stopped him.

"Goliath wait!" Leo called out. "There's no need."

Angel perked up at Leo's words as Goliath turned to the blue turtle.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Yeah, if we let her go, she'll just tell her friends about us." Lexington rationalized.

"Look at her." Leo insisted. "She's just a kid."

Goliath took another look at her and saw very little cause for violence. He let out a sigh, and placed her on the ground.

"Go. Now." He told her.

Angel wasted no time, taking off down the street. She ended up running right into Willow, but quickly recovered before bolting. Not long after that, Elisa made her way over to the others.

"Nice job guys." she complimented, "Something tells me those low lives won't be shaking down this store for a while."

"Dude," Raph let out, walking over to Leo. "Why'd you let her go?"

"She wasn't exactly a threat, Raph." Leo insisted. "It looked like she had enough."

"Seriously?" Raph replied. "They were beating up a blind guy. I don't think there's a limit on enough for that."

"It doesn't matter, now." Brooklyn interjected. "They're gone."

"Yeah, but they'll be back" Raph informed. "And now they won't think we have the stomach to finish the job."

Leo looked down in contemplation over what Raph said. Before he could dwell too much on it, Hudson placed a hand on his shell.

"Ye did the right thing, lad." the old gargoyle assured him. "The child was a wee lass, and taking her out would have been a waste. Perhaps your mercy will help her to reevaluate her choice in friends."

Leo smiled at this, thinking Hudson may be onto something there. With the dragons all running for the hills, the group made their way back inside to check on Murakami.

"You ok Mr. Murakami?" Donnie asked.

"Yes, Donatello-san." Murakami assured him. "I am well. Thank you for saving me when you did."

"Don't mention it Mr. Murakami." Mikey replied. "Anything to keep our favorite noodle place open as long as possible."

Murakami smiled, adjusting a pair of sunglasses on his face. Willow noticed this, putting two and two together.

"Mr. Murakami… are you blind?" she asked.

"Yes child." Murakami confirmed. "I hope that's not an issue."

"Not at all." Broadway declared, sniffing the air. "Whatcha cookin?"

"Broadway, don't be rude." Brooklyn chastised. "He was just attacked."

"It is quite alright." Murakami reassured. "I'd be more than happy to prepare a meal for you all, free of charge. It is the least I can do to repay you."

"Your kindness is very much appreciated." Goliath told him.

"Michelangelo mentioned something call… Pizza Gyoza." Lexington recalled. "What is that?"

Murakami smiled in response.

"Let me show you," He answered.

...  
Back inside, Murakami got to work in the kitchen, moving at incredible speeds in preparing the meal he had promised. The turtles just smiled as the humans and gargoyles were awestruck by the skill on display.

"Are you a sorcerer?" Broadway asked, watching as the food was tossed around with expert skill.

"He's gotta be." Brooklyn insisted. "No normal human could do this."

"Nah," Mikey dismissed. "He's just got mad skills."

The food show ended with a flare as Murakami deposited a tray of Pizza Gyoza dumplings in front of all of his guests, human, turtle, and gargoyle alike.

"Pizza Gyoza!" he declared. "One of my most popular dishes."

"And one of our favorites." Leo added.

Willow picked one up, examining it before tossing it in her mouth. Her face lit up and she immediately reached for another one. Elisa did the same, unable to contain a moan of satisfaction. Taking cues from their human friends, everyone else dug in as well.

"These things are incredible!" Broadway exclaimed.

"I'll say, it's like Chinese food and pizza rolled into one tasty treat." Brooklyn agreed.

"Well, technically it's Japanese food and pizza combined, but you're close enough." Donnie corrected.

"No talking, just eating." Mikey silenced, taking another bite.

The two gargoyles and Donnie just shrugged and obliged, continuing to enjoy their meal.

...  
Quite a ways down the street, Dragon Face, Bebop, Rocksteady, and their oversized companion were slowly stopped to catch their breath, having been running for what felt like an hour. As they leaned against the wall, Angel slowly caught up with them, also out of breath.

"What were those things?" she asked in between gasps of air.

"I have no idea." Dragon Face admitted.

"Man, it was bad enough when it was just those freaky turtle things, but now we've got giant winged monsters?!" Bebop exclaimed. "This city keeps getting weirder and weirder."

"You're telling me." Rocksteady agreed. "So...who's gonna tell the boss?"

...

The group emerged from Murakami's noodle shop, Broadway's arms laden with leftovers.

"Thanks again for the food!" He called out.

"Come again soon!" Murakami called back.

Elisa gave a stretch, then slid her hands into her pockets.

"Well, I better get down to the station." she announced. "My shift starts in about 30 minutes and I need to file a report on what happened here. Heavily edited of course."

"Of course." Goliath replied. "We best return to the castle anyway."

"That means we're homeward bound too." Leo added.

"Yeah, I can't wait to tell Master Splinter about how you let a Purple Dragon escape." Raph growled.

Leo just rolled his eyes as the turtles made for the nearest manhole cover. Brooklyn then gathered Willow in his arms, and the gargoyles made their way home.

...  
Back at the Purple Dragon's hideout, the dragons came before a large muscular man with a purple dragon tattoo on one arm and a dragon's foot tattoo on the other.

"I can't leave you alone for one minute, can I?" he asked. "It was supposed to be a simple job."

"I-it wasn't our fault, boss!" Bebop stammered.

"Yeah, it was the turtles." Rocksteady added. "And these other freaks! For real Hun!"

Hun raised an eyebrow as he effortlessly snapped the chains on their cuffs.

"Other freaks?" he repeated. "What are you going on about?"

"These...monsters." Dragon Face tried to describe. "With giant wings."

"I'm going to need more than that, Dragon Face." Hun warned.

"They had some human friends!" Angel supplied. "An NYPD cop, and some girl."

Angel fished into the pocket of the ratty hoodie she was wearing, pulling out a familiar butterfly wallet.

"I snagged this from her coat when they thought I was bolting." she explained as she tossed it to Hun.

Hun opened the wallet, looking at the picture provided on the license inside. As he read the name, a cruel smile spread across his face.

"Interesting." He commented.

...  
Back at the lair, Leo was having at it on a practice dummy. Just then, Raph came from behind it.

"Whoa there partner." Raph remarked. "I think he's had enough. Better let em go."

"Seriously Raph?" Leo asked. "You're giving me a hard time for not senselessly beating a defenseless kid?"

"I'm giving you a hard time because you went soft on them." Raph told him. "Those punks don't show mercy, so why should we?"

"To show mercy is not weakness Raphael." Splinter voiced, walking into the room. "It is a sign of true strength."

"More than that, she was just a kid, Raph." Leo added. "Probably no older than us. I wasn't going to beat her up, especially when it's not too late for her."

"She isn't a charity case, Leo." Raph replied. "And this isn't Sunday school, it's war."

"A daimyo in the 16th century once said 'in times of peace, never forget the possibility of war. In times of war, never forget compassion.'" Splinter quoted.

"That wasn't compassion, Sensei." Raph retorted. "That was just cowardice."

"To the untrained eye, maybe." Splinter told him. "But I assure you, one day you will require one to combat the other."

Splinter then walked out of the room, leaving his sons to reflect on what they had heard.

"Wow." Mikey let out. "You gotta love Master Splinter's wisdom nuggets."

"Look, I'm not saying I'm anti mercy." Raph insisted. "But the dragons are, and they're not just gonna leave Murakami alone."

"So we'll track down the dragons and make sure they got the message." Leo decided. "And if they didn't, we'll send them one."

"Now there's a plan I like." Raph remarked, pounding his fist.

"Question," Donnie spoke up. "How are we gonna track someone down when we can't talk to anyone?"

"We go to the one person who knows more about the crime in this town then we do." Leo answered. "Someone get Detective Maza on the phone."

...  
Elisa thumbed through some files on her desk, her cell phone held up to her ear with her shoulder.

"Possible Purple Dragon hideouts?" she repeated. "There's been a lot of speculation about their current den, so I'll have to do some digging real fast. But why do you need to know?"

 _"Call it a precautionary measure."_ Raph told her.

"Raphael, I'm not an idiot." she reminded him. "Are you guys going after them for what happened at the noodle shop? I mean I'm all for taking these guys down, but from your tone, it sounds like you want to cross a few lines."

 _"Nothing we don't do already I assure you."_ Raph reassured. _"Just something to make sure they stay off Murakami's back."_

Elisa sighed, then pulled a piece of paper from the file she was looking at.

"Alright then." she allowed. "I found what you want, and I'll take you to the location."

 _"That's not necessary, Elisa"_ Raph told her.

"Call it a precautionary measure." Elisa retorted.

Raph chuckled a bit.

 _"Fair enough."_ He relented. _"Want to call in the gargoyles too?"_

"Nah." Elisa replied. "I'm pretty sure Goliath's probably nose deep in a book, and Willow's probably dragged the trio off on some adventure."

 _"Too true."_ Raph admitted.

...  
Willow looked under her bed with a worried look. She opened up her wardrobe, pushing various clothes aside. She opened up various drawers on her desk, moved aside books on her shelves, all the while growing more and more worried. In the doorway, the trio watched her antics with curiosity and concern.

"What's with her?" Broadway asked.

"Not sure." Lexington answered. "Looks like she's looking for something."

"Where is it?!" Willow exclaimed. "I know I had it earlier!"

"What are you looking for?" Brooklyn asked.

"My wallet!" she shouted. "It was in my pocket when we went to Murakami's, and now it's gone!"

"Think it might be there?" Brooklyn proposed.

Willow paused mid-search, frozen as she contemplated that. The then promptly face palmed, feeling completely idiotic for her whole display.

"Why didn't I think of that?" she questioned.

"Need a lift down there?" Broadway offered.

"No thanks." Willow replied. "Murakami's isn't far, and I could use the exercise. Besides, the sun'll be up soon, and after what happened last time, I don't think it would be good for you guys to get caught away from the castle in the morning."

"If you insist." Lexington replied.

...  
Across town, Elisa's car pulled into a nearby alley. She got out of the car, looking around.

"Where are you guys?" she whispered.

Suddenly, something landed on the roof of her car with a thud. She looked up to see the turtles standing there. She let out a sigh, placing a hand to her chest.

"Just when I think I'm getting used to you guys." she let out.

"We like to keep our friends on our toes." Leo remarked. "This the place?"

"Yup." She confirmed. "According to our reports, it's where the Dragons have been frequenting as of late. Never really had enough for a warrant, but then again, that kind of paperwork won't stop you guys."

"Never has before." Donnie replied.

"How would that even work anyway?" Mikey asked. "Would we need to file for a ninja license, fill out kick butt waivers in triplicate, or-"

Raph cut him off with a smack to the head. Elisa chuckled slightly at that, then turned to Leo.

"You lead this one." she insisted. "I'll follow your lead."

Leo nodded before the five of them headed out.

...

Inside the building, the purple dragons were engaged in various activities while Hun was sitting at his desk talking to someone on the phone.

"I don't care how long it takes." Hun snapped. "You two bone-heads will remain there until she arrives. You either get the job done, or don't come back at all!"

Just then, a loud crashing sound rang out through the building. The dragons looked up to see the turtles smashing through one of the windows and landing on the ground in a dramatic pose.

"I'll call you back." Hun replied before hanging up and tossing the phone aside.

"Freeze, dirt bags!" Leo cried out, before noting Hun rising from his desk. "Whoa."

"You know, I was not prepared for the walking brick wall when we decided to do this." Mikey commented as Elisa entered the room.

"So, who's the big guy?" Elisa asked, walking over to the turtles.

"The name's Hun." He introduced. "Don't worry if you have trouble remembering it though."

He then proceeded to crack his knuckles as he walked over to the heroes.

"I'll beat it into your skulls."

...  
Meanwhile at Murakami's noodle shop, Murakami swept the floor as Willow entered the shop.

"Hey Mr. Murakami." Willow greeted.

"Ah, Willow-san." Murakami replied. "Welcome back. What can I get for you?"

"Nothing actually." She answered. "I think I left my wallet here last night."

"Really?" Murakami asked. "I never noticed it, but you're welcome to look around."

"Thank you." she told him before beginning her search.

As she looked around, the bell over the door rang, signaling someone entering.

"Can I help you?" Murakami asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes." A familiar voice replied.

Willow froze, then slowly turned around and saw Bebop and Rocksteady standing before her.

"Lose something?" Rocksteady asked.

…

Back at the warehouse, a massive fight between the turtles, Elisa, and the dragons broke out. Elisa unloaded her clip into the warehouse, forcing many of the dragons to take cover. As she rounded a corner, one dragon tried grabbing her by the arm, but she just kicking him in the stomach and elbowing him on the back of the head.

"Hands off, pal." she warned, slamming her second clip home.

Across the room, Mikey was whacking and bashing every dragon that came close with his Nunchucks. One dragon grabbed him from behind, but Mikey sprung off the ground and forced all his weight over the dragon. Eventually, the dragon's legs gave out and he fell to the ground.

Donnie was duking it out with Dragon Face, who was brandishing a steel pipe against his wooden staff. The two clashed weapons back and forth, neither of them giving any ground.

"You're good." Donnie complimented before finally sweeping the guy off his feet. "But I'm better."

Raph meanwhile swept a dragon's feet out from under him before standing up and brandishing his sai. One dragon tried swinging a crowbar at him, but he caught it in his sai before kicking him in the head. Raph then elbowed another dragon in the chest before hitting him in the face.

Leo was duking it out with Angel again, much to his annoyance.

"You won't scare me off this time, turtle!" she declared, holding out a sharp piece of broken pipe as a weapon.

"You know kid," Leo said, ducking under her attacks. "You're starting to make me regret letting you go."

Leo then drew a sword, slicking the pipe in half before kicking Angel to the ground. Before he could make another move, something grabbed him by the shell and lifted him in the air. He looked down to see Hun glaring at him evilly.

"What do you think you're doing?" Hun taunted.

Hun then punched Leo so hard, he went flying across the room. Raph saw this and ran towards Hun. He then proceeded to bash Hun repeatedly with the blunt end of his sai. The behemoth stumbled slightly, then caught Raph's wrists mid-blow. He then threw Raph into a stack of crates, which shattered on impact. Donnie then ran towards him and tried swinging at him with his staff, only for Hun to catch it and raise Don into the air before slamming him on the ground. Mikey extended the chain of his kusarigama, wrapping it around Hun to try and restrain him. Hun grabbed the chain and pulled Mikey in close, wrapping his arms around him and head-butting him. Hun then let Mikey go, allowing him to slump to the ground as Hun removed the chain from his body.

"Freeze, Dirtbag!" Elisa threatened, aiming her gun right at Hun.

Hun turned around to see her aiming right at his head. Surprisingly, he just smiled at this.

"You seem pretty confident for someone outnumbered." Hun remarked. "And I don't think you have enough bullets to go around."

She began to sweat, her hands shaking slightly but she stood firm.

"Guys, we gotta get out of here." Leo called out.

"Run away?" Raph replied. "Are you kidding?"

"Yes, it's part of my hilarious 'let's all live' stand-up routine." Leo responded sarcastically. "Grab Elisa and let's go!"

Elisa inched her way towards the door, keeping her gun level until her back was to the door. She quickly opened it and bolted out, with the turtles not far behind her.

"That's right!" Dragon Face called out. "Run away ya cowards!"

"Well, that went well." Hun commented.

"Went well?" Angel questioned. "They got away! What happened to snatching their human friend and using her as bait?"

Hun chuckled a bit at that.

"Who said the cop was going to be the bait?" Hun asked.

Just then, another door opened. Hun and Angel looked up to see Bebop and Rocksteady entering. Thrown over Bebop's shoulder was an unconscious Willow. From the bruise on her face, it was clear that she's been knocked out rather violently. Angel gasped, covering her mouth.

"Brat's a fighter." Bebop remarked, dropping Willow unceremoniously to the ground. "Gave us a good run, but in the end, she ain't as good as the turtles."

"Nice work boys." Hun complimented.

"What do we do with her now?" Rocksteady asked.

"Keep her somewhere safe until tonight." Hun told them. "That's when the real fun begins.

...  
Once they escaped, the turtles decided to convene at the Eyrie building. Elisa elected to go home, tired after the nights events. The quartet said their goodbyes, then made their way up to the castle. Dawn was fast approaching, and the gargoyles were up on their perches as they awaited the rising sun.

"Well, I don't think that fight could have been any more embarrassing." Raph remarked,

"Sure it could have," Mikey told him. "We could have been hit in the face with pies."

Raph whacked him upside the head, then he noticed Brooklyn looking a bit nervous.

"Hey Brooklyn, what's up?" Raph asked.

"Willow left her wallet at the restaurant." Brooklyn explained. "She went back to get it about an hour ago, but hasn't returned. I'm worried."

"Don't worry, we'll look into it." Donnie reassured.

"Thanks guys." Brooklyn said with a sigh of relief. "You're good-"

He was cut off as the sun rose, turning all of the gargoyles into solid stone.

"Think Willow's ok?" Mikey asked.

"She probably got something to eat while she was there." Leo suggested. "I'm sure she's fine."

...  
In short time, the turtles arrived at Murakami's noodle shop. Mr. Murakami was sweeping up, and from the looks of the shop, there had been a scuffle.

"Mr. Murakami." Leo let out as they entered the shop. "What happened here?"

"Another fight broke out." Murakami explained. "It was two of those ruffians from last night and your friend Willow."

"Willow?" Raph realized. "Where is she?"

"I do not know." Murakami admitted, reaching into his pocket. "But they tossed this at me before leaving. Told me to give it to you."

He then fished out a note and handed it to the turtles. Donnie took it and read it aloud.

"Fun and Games are over. Meet us tonight on the roof of the abandoned fortune cookie factory at 11:00. Bring those winged freaks with you."

"Aw man, they want the gargoyles!" Mikey squealed.

"Guess they figured Willow would be an easy target." Leo rationalized. "They probably stole her wallet to lure her here alone."

"So what are we waiting for?!" Raph asked. "They took Willow, we get her back!"

"Need I remind you that Hun creamed us a few hours ago?" Leo reminded. "We wait until tonight and get the gargoyles."

"Leo's right Raph." Donnie agreed. "Besides, we need some rest if we're going to be any help to Willow."

...

That night, the turtles returned to the castle just as the gargoyles awoke from their stone sleep. The cacophonous roar and rain of shattered stone skin came to an end as the gargoyles jumped off their perches.

"Hello lads." Hudson greeted. "What brings ye by so early?"

"Trouble." Leo answered.

"The Purple Dragons have Willow." Mikey blurted out.

"WHAT?!" Brooklyn exclaimed, his eyes glowing brightly.

Both Broadway and Lexington had to hold him back as Goliath stepped forward.

"What happened?" he questioned.

"The dragons snatched her wallet as a means to draw her back to the restaurant." Donnie explained. "They grabbed her and said they wanted us to meet them at the abandoned fortune cookie factory at 11:00."

"Then we will go." Goliath decided.

"Aye." Hudson agreed. "Bronx and I will stay here and guard the castle. Ye will be more than enough to rescue the lass."

"Sounds good." Leo agreed as they all moved out.

Raph however, pulled the trio aside, wanting to talk to them.

"Look guys, you know that if we want to save Willow, we can't play fair." Raph declared, cutting right to the chase. "We need to show them that we're not to be messed with."

"No argument here." Brooklyn agreed.

"I doubt Leo or Goliath will agree." Lexington voiced.

"No offence to either of them, but they're too merciful for their own good." Raph disputed.

"Maybe you're right." Broadway allowed.

"Besides, the dragons crossed a line." Brooklyn added. "I say it's time to show them we can cross that line too."

"And I know just how to do it." Raph suggested, smirking.

...

In another part of town, Angel decided to get out for a bit and clear her head. She walked down the street, kicking a stray can across the sidewalk as she did. She couldn't get her mind off of everything that had happened last night. First there were giant turtles, then huge monsters. And yet, none of them had hurt her. In fact, all of them had let her go.

Now the Purple Dragons were trying to lure the monsters out by using their friend. Angel had been positive that they were going to use the cop, and she was cool with that.

But using some innocent girl just didn't sit right with her.

"Ugh..." she let out, punting the can as hard as she could, "What is wrong with me?!"

Just then, a shadow whooshed over her. She looked up but saw nothing there. She rubbed her head, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"And now I'm seeing things." she muttered. "Can this night get any worse?"

Just then, Brooklyn swooped down and plucked her off the streets and into the air, causing her to panic.

"What the-" She let out. "Put me down!"

"Trust me," Brooklyn spoke. "You wouldn't want that right now."

Angel looked down and saw just how high they were going. Immediately, she curled up in a ball, clinging to Brooklyn's arms in terror.

"W-what do you want?" she asked.

"To get a friend back." Brooklyn told her. "And you're gonna help me do it."

"You mean that blue-haired chick?" Angel inquired, still clinging to Brooklyn. "Listen, I honestly thought they were gonna go after the cop, not her. Please, don't hurt me!"

"Oh yeah, that makes me feel so much better." Brooklyn replied sarcastically.

...

Hun and the rest of the Purple Dragons stood on the roof of the fortune cookie factory. Tied up and held by Bebop and Rocksteady, Willow was forced to kneel. She glared up at Hun, looking more angry and annoyed than scared.

"You're going to regret laying a hand on me." she warned. "If my friends don't tear you to shreds, my dad's forces will."

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see." Hun remarked.

Just then, several shadows dashed overhead. Hun looked up to see the turtles and gargoyles, sans Raph and the trio, landing on the roof.

"You wanted us," Goliath spoke. "Here we are!"

"Let the girl go, Hun." Leo demanded.

"I would, but unfortunately, there's been a change in plans." Hun told them.

Bebop and Rocksteady pulled Willow to her feet, dragging her over to the edge of the building. They dangled her over the edge, her feet swaying as she tried to pull herself to safety.

"No!" Donnie let out.  
"Actually," Raph's voice called out. "There's been another change in plans."

That's when Brooklyn landed on the edge of the roof, dangling Angel from his claws. Raph, Broadway, and Lexington landed next to him.

"You drop Willow, I drop the brat." he snarled, holding Angel out over the edge of the building by her hoodie.

"What are ye thinkin' Lad?!" Hudson snapped.

"Giving this thug a taste of his own medicine." Brooklyn told him.

"It's so simple, even a Neanderthal like you can get it Hun," Raph spoke. "You let our friend go, we'll let your friend go!"

"Bold move freaks." Hun commended. "I didn't think you had it in ya."

"Brooklyn..." Willow hissed, her eyes glued on the girl in his grasp.

"Release Willow now, and the girl goes free." Raph promised. "Drop her, and we'll see if this Angel has wings."

"You know what, I'm enjoying this way too much." Hun told them. "Why don't we both find out what happens together."

Bebop and Rocksteady held Willow farther out over the street, her eyes widening his shock and a terrified whimper escaping her lips. Brooklyn's eyes began to glow as he loosened his grip on Angel's hoodie.

"I'll do it!" He promised. "She's not the first human I've killed!"

"Then why don't we see how cold blooded you reptiles are." Hun challenged.

Brooklyn turned back to Angel and saw the sheer terror in her eyes, as well as the fearful tears falling down her face. That look softened the gargoyles hardened gaze, the glow fading somewhat. Raph saw that, realizing what that meant. Brooklyn lowered his head and placed Angel on the roof. Hun just chuckled at the sight before him.

"Just as I thought." Hun remarked. "Get them!"

Bebop and Rocksteady tossed Willow safely onto the roof before they and the rest of the Dragons charged at the group. As they fought, Angel recovered and got as far away from the edge as possible, approaching Hun.

"I can't believe it..." she let out, "I honestly thought they were going to kill me… How did you know they were bluffing?"

"...I didn't." Hun replied before running into the battle.

Angel stood there, complete thrown by what she had just learned. She sank to her knees as the battle waged around her.

Goliath made a beeline for Hun, his eyes glowing brightly as the two giants clashed.

"You took a member of my clan." he snarled. "Why? She is an innocent!"

"Nothin personal, just needed her to get to you." Hun replied, picking Goliath into the air and throwing him.

Goliath went flying, crashing hard into Broadway as he tussled with Two-Ton. The two picked themselves off as Broadway looked over at Hun.

"Man, what is he?" Broadway questioned. "Some sort of half-giant?"

"I do not know." Goliath admitted. "But not even a giant can stand forever."

He charged at Hun again as Broadway narrowly avoided the swipe of Two-Ton's thick metal chain. Meanwhile, Bebop and Rocksteady closed in on Brooklyn and Raph, the two dragons grinning maliciously.

"So much for the cold blooded killer, eh Bebop?" Rocksteady asked.

"You said it, Rock." Bebop agreed. "These freaks are just a bunch of gutless cowards."

"It's not gutless to spare an innocent life." Brooklyn snarled. "Besides, I wasn't lying about having killed humans before."

With that, the red gargoyle jumped at Bebop, fangs bared and claws out. The two tussled on the ground as Raph ran towards Rocksteady. The dragon tried slicing at him with a knife, but Raph quickly ducked under it before leaping into the air and kicking it out of his hands.

The knife skittered across the ground, landing right in front of Angel. She looked down at the knife, then at the ongoing fight. Her eyes then drifted over to Willow, who was trying to free herself of her bindings. Angel looked down at the knife again, then came to a decision before kicking it away. It went across the ground again, knocking right against Willow's foot. She wasted no time snatching it up and cutting through her restraints.

Leo meanwhile was going mano y mano against Dragon Face, who was wielding a rusty makeshift machete against the blue turtle's katana. The two continued to trade blow for blow, with neither showing signs of stopping.

"I'm surprised you haven't turned tail and run away, freak." Dragon face taunted. "Or is the little coward finally growing a pair?"

"You know, I'm getting real sick of punks like you confusing compassion for cowardice." Leo remarked. "Time you learn the difference!"

Leo then swung his sword so hard, he cut right through the machete. Before Dragon Face could react, Leo swept his feet out from under him and kicked him in the chest, sending him flying across the roof. He hit the factory's sign hard enough for it to begin shaking.

Back with Goliath, he and Hun were still having at it. Their strengths were almost a match, but Goliath's attention was pulled elsewhere as he continuously checked on the state of his clan and the turtles. Hun saw this and decided to use it to his advantage. He then struck Goliath in the gut, causing him to hunch over. Hun then raised his fists overhead and brought them down on the gargoyle's back, causing a grunt of pain to slip through Goliath's teeth.

"Not so tough now, are you?" Hun growled.

All of a sudden, a brick collided with the side of his head hard, causing the giant to see stars as he toppled to the side. This revealed Willow, wielding the brick with a triumphant grin.

"I could say the same to you." she taunted.

"Why you little-"

Before Hun could finish, Goliath used his tail to strike him in the back. As Hun turned around, Goliath leapt at him and lifted him into the air.

"Now, let me make this clear." Goliath threatened. "If you or any of your clan come near mine ever again..."

He didn't even bother finishing the statement, letting an ear piercing roar do that for him before he threw the behemoth into the factory sign. This time, it bent considerably before toppling over all together.

"Aw crud!" Hun cried out as he and the sign fell to the street below.

The dragons saw their leader fall down and immediately took off after him, scrambling to get away from the turtles and the gargoyles.

"Yeah you guys better run!" Mikey taunted, spinning his nunchaku a bit.

"Good riddance to the lot of them." Brooklyn remarked.

That's when Leo noticed Angel was still on the roof, just standing there while rubbing her arm awkwardly.

"Hey," He spoke, walking over to her. "Look, I'm sorry about what my friends did to you."

"No… I get it." she said quietly. "You wanted your friend back..."

"Still, what we did was wrong." Brooklyn admitted, looking down at the ground. "You're-"

"Just a kid?" Angel guessed. "Yeah, and a pretty stupid one since I honestly thought those bozos cared about me."

"Why were you even with those low lives in the first place?" Raph asked.

"Honestly, there ain't a lot of places a kid like me can go." Angel admitted. "Life on the streets is tough, and the Purple Dragons were the toughest around. I thought if I was one of them, at least I'd be safe, you know?"

"Too tough to care about anyone other than themselves, it seems." Goliath noted.

"Yeah..." Angel admitted. "But you guys… you honestly care about one another. I mean, you look all big and scary, but she was willing to go against Hun to help you."

Willow blushed.

"We're a clan." Willow explained. "Gargoyle, turtle, human, it doesn't matter to us."

"I wish I had something like that..." Angel lamented.

"You could join us." Lexington suggested.

Angel perked up at that.

"You- you'd do that?" she asked. "Even after everything I did?"

"We've all made stupid mistakes." Brooklyn told her.

"But we watch out for each other." Leo promised. "No matter what."

"Wow…" Angel let out. "That would be amazing! And I think I know just how I can help you guys"

"And what would that be Lass?" Hudson asked.

"Easy, even with the big guy's threat, Hun will probably try and get payback for what happened tonight." Angel explained. "It might do you all some good if you had someone to tip you off when he tries to make a move."

"You mean like being a spy?" Mikey asked.

"Exactly." Angel said, snapping her fingers and pointing at Mikey. "What do you say?"

"You sure?" Donnie asked. "It could be dangerous."

"This is New York City." Angel reminded him. "Everything is dangerous!"

"So we've noticed." Broadway replied.

"Then it's settled." Angel declared, fishing into her pocket. "But before I go, I have something."

She turned to Willow, holding out her missing wallet. Willow took it with a smile.

"You might want this back." Angel told her.

Willow laughed, then Angel turned towards the fire escape.

"See you soon, guys." she called back with a wave.

"Nice kid." Mikey commented.

"Goliath…" Brooklyn spoke, turning to his leader. "I'm sorry. When Willow was in danger I just-"

Goliath placed a hand on Brooklyn's shoulder, cutting him off.

"You feared for her safety, I understand." He told him. "But we cannot allow ourselves to be succumb by feelings of hatred and rage, lest we become no better than the ones we fight."

"I guess I'm sorry too." Raph spoke up. "Guess that mercy stuff isn't as useless as I thought."

"See?" Leo replied. "I told you."

Everyone shared a laugh, then Willow let out a yawn.

"C'mon guys." she told them all. "Let's go home."

...

Across town, in an unmarked New York high rise, Hun walked into a Japanese looking office and bowed at the steps leading to a throne, where a man in silver armor and blades on his hands, shoulders, and knees and a silver helmet that covered all but his eyes sat.

"Master, it would seem that the turtles have gained some… new allies." Hun reported.

The man raised an eyebrow at this fact.

"New allies, you say?" he repeated.

"Strange creatures, huge! With wings." Hun listed off. "They were unlike anything I've ever seen."

"Really?" the man marveled, raising a hand and extending a claw from his gauntlet. "This makes the game much more… interesting."


	6. Thrill of the Hunt

Donnie sat in the living room of the lair, waiting anxiously for the news to start. Raph happened to walk by and see the look of impatient glee plastered on the purple turtle's face.

"What's with you?" Raph asked. "Saw April reporting in a jumpsuit again?"

"No, though it did look good on her." Donnie admitted. "April's the reporter covering Xanatos' trial, and apparently the sentencing is almost done."

"Well why didn't you say so?" Raph replied, plopping on the couch. "Bout time that jerk got what he deserves."

Leo and Mikey walked in, joining their brothers on the couch.

"What's the occasion?" Leo questioned.

"April doing another report in that jumpsuit?" Mikey guessed.

"No!" Donnie replied. "Xanatos' sentencing is coming up. So please, shhhh!"

On the screen, the news came on as April's face into view.

" _This is April O'Neil, coming to you live from the New York Courthouse after perhaps the most talked about trial of the month. David Xanatos, CEO and founder of Xanatos Enterprises, was found guilty earlier this week for the reception of stolen goods. His sentence has been set at six months, with the possibility of parole."_

"Six months?!" Mikey cried out. "If you ask me, they should have given him life in the joint."

"Actually, we're lucky he was even imprisoned at all." Donnie pointed out. "Just listen."

" _When asked about the short sentence, Judge Bates had this to say._ " April continued before the screen switched to that of an older woman.

" _The evidence against Mr. Xanatos was circumstantial at best._ " The judge explained. " _While testimony from Miss Willow Xanatos did prove the claims of him receiving the stolen goods, there was no proof that he was the mastermind behind the entire scheme._ "

"No proof without name dropping a few silent guardians of the night." Leo deduced.

"Man… I bet the gargoyles ain't happy about this little development." Raph remarked.

"We better stop by to see how they're taking it." Leo decided.

…

"I'm sorry Goliath, but that's the way things are." Elisa told the lavender gargoyle.

Goliath and the rest of his clan were gathered on the battlements, Elisa having just told them about the results of Xanatos' trial. To say they were upset was an understatement.

"In six short months, Xanatos will be free, and when he is, he'll come looking to reclaim what's his." Elisa continued. "And that means the Eyrie Building, and the castle upon it."

"No, Xanatos is defeated." Goliath dismissed. "This castle is our home."

"Not anymore." Elisa argued. "Xanatos bought it lock, stock and gargoyle. Every minute you stay here, you risk the lives of your entire clan."

"You worry too much Elisa." Goliath told her. "We are safe here. Xanatos can trouble us no more."

With that, he walked off, just as the turtles showed up.

"Hey Goliath." Leo greeted as he walked past.

"What's with him?" Donnie asked.

"I'll tell you what's wrong." Elisa muttered, crossing her arms irritably. "His heads solid stone, even at night."

"Didn't take the Xanatos news well, I take it?" Leo guessed.

"Not even slightly." Lexington answered. "C'mon. Willow's waiting for us in the entertainment room."

"Sweet." Mikey let out following suit.

…

The trio and the turtles found Willow in the entertainment room with Hudson and Bronx. She had a large array of snacks set up, and a big grin on her face as they entered.

"Looks like you got enough to feed an army." Raph remarked.

"Kinda have to with the appetites you guys bring." Willow replied. "Then of course, there's Broadway."

The others turned to Broadway munching on some popcorn.

"What?" He asked, his mouth full of the stuff.

"Shh!" Lex called out as they turned to the TV. "It's starting."

On the TV, a very adventurous theme song began to play as a quintet of heroes came on screen. It was composed of a trio of men and a pair of women, making of an animal-themed superhero group known as the Pack. Willow grinned as the show began, leaning back against Brooklyn.

"Man, I love this show." she declared.

"You and me both." Brooklyn agreed.

The show continued playing, showing the Pack going up against several men clad in all black. Broadway saw them and began snickering.

"Hey Leonardo, those guys friends of yours?" He chortled.

"Not a chance." Leo replied. "Their 'ninja skill' is amateurish at best."

"I dunno, they seem about on par with your skills." Brooklyn ribbed.

"I can't tell if he's complimenting their skill, or dissing ours." Mikey remarked.

"Better not be dissing." Raph remarked.

"What's the matter?" Brooklyn asked. "Insecure about your abilities?"

Brooklyn was then greeted by a tub of popcorn to the head. Willow snorted in laughter as Brooklyn brushed away some stray popcorn.

"Is that how it's gonna be?" He said, grinning as he picked up the tub. "Alright then. Let's see you dodge this!"

He then lept at Raph, shoving the popcorn tub onto the turtle's head.

"Ok, that's it!" Raph declared, throwing the tub off.

He then tackled Brooklyn to the ground, the two rolling around and wrestling with one another. Everyone watched in amusement, save for Lexington, who continued to try and watch the show.

"Hey, can you guys keep it down?" he requested. "I'm trying to watch."

Everyone just stopped dead in their tracks upon Lex's request.

"Man, that guy takes his Pack seriously." Mikey commended.

"Aye Lad." Hudson confirmed. "I suppose he has."

Everyone settled back down as the first act of the show came to a close and a commercial played.

" _See the Pack for one night only at Madison Square Gardens!_ " the tv announcer declared. " _All your favorite heroes; Dingo, Wolf, Jackal, Hyena, and Fox, appearing live tonight at Madison Square Gardens_!"

"Whoa, a live show!" Mikey cheered. "Can we go, Leo? Can we?"

"Madison Square Gardens?" Leo pondered. "Sounds a little too public for us."

"We'll be sneaky." Mikey promised. "Really sneaky. Please? Please? Please? Please?... Did I mention you're my favorite turtle?"

"Hey." Raph and Donnie let out.

"A live show would be fun." Willow noted, stroking her chin. "My dad has a private box that we could use to get a good seat."

"Dudette, when you hang with the ninja turtles, you get the best seats in the house!" Mikey declared.

"How bout it Leo?" Donnie asked.

"...alright. But we're going to be careful about it." Leo announced.

"Of course you are." Brooklyn agreed. "Because we're coming too."

"Sounds like fun." Raph remarked. "Just try not to hit anyone with your tail on the way in."

In response, Brooklyn's tail smacked Raph upside the head.

"Oops." Brooklyn remarked.

…

Across town at Pack Media Studios, the members of the aforementioned Pack were training for their big show that night.

"This is getting old." the one called Wolf voiced, lifting some weights.

"Oh quit complaining." the female Fox told him as she was wailing on a punching bag. "We've never had it this good."

While they were talking, the duo of Jackal and Hyena were putting their claws to good use, slicing some practice dummies to pieces. All the while, the final member, Dingo, was practicing with rope and bola, wrapping it around another practice dummy and pulling it to the ground.

While Fox was still training, she heard something land behind her. She quickly turned around and saw a ninja landing in front of her. As she took a fighting stance, the ninja rose to his feet and took off his mask, revealing himself to be just an actor.

"Later Harvey." She told him as he took off. "Work on those backflips."

As Harvey left, Wolf set the weights aside and walked over to a shelf of dumbbells near Fox.

"I honestly don't see why you're complaining Wolf." Fox admitted. "This gig ain't half bad."

"When we took this job, we were promised fame, money and action." Wolf reminded her. "I'm not complaining about the first two, but I ain't seen much of the third in some time."

"Sounds like the Wolf man is gettin bored." Jackal taunted.

"Maybe a new haircut would help." Hyena quipped, baring her metal claws maliciously.

"I don't need anything from you two clowns." Wolf threw back.

"As much as I hate to admit it, Wolf's right." Dingo concurred. "I mean this is a cushy gig and all, but it's been making us all a bit soft. I doubt I'd last a minute in a Central American War in the state I'm in now."

"See?" Wolf pointed out, lifting some dumbbells. "Birds gotta fly, fish gotta swim, and Wolves gotta hunt!"

He then tossed the dumbbells at Jackal and Hyena, who just barely dodged them as they crashed into a wall.

"Well, if you're all itching for action," Fox relented, walking over to a bench and picking up an envelope. "This came in today's mail. With no return address and no explanation."

She threw several photos onto the bench, which the Pack eagerly picked up and examined. They were all photos of Goliath, in all his gargoyle glory taking out the Steel Clan robots and Purple Dragon punks.

"Stone me!" Dingo exclaimed.

"Interesting." Jackal admitted with a psychotic smirk on his face.

"Hey, I remember reading something about this in the Daily Tattler." Hyena recalled. "People claiming they've seen gargoyles."

"Right," Jackal said, nodding his head sarcastically. "And alligators live in the sewers."

"What's your point?" Wolf asked Fox.

"You said you wanted some action," Fox reminded. "Imagine hunting one of these. But we'll figure it out later. Right now, we have a public appearance to make."

…

Madison Square Gardens was packed with hundreds if not thousands of Pack fans eager to see the live show. The seats were filled and the boxes were packed, but a set of eight fans didn't have to worry about that.

The gargoyles descended into the rafters, Brooklyn carrying Willow in his arms. The turtles jumped down to join them, getting themselves comfortable on the support beams.

"Best seat in the house." Mikey jeered.

"Yeah as long as you don't lean too far back." Raph remarked.

"Isn't it time for the show to start?" Lexington asked in anticipation.

"Calm down, Lex." Willow told him. "It'll start soon."

"Yeesh, for being frozen in stone for a thousand years, you'd think these guys would be a bit more patient." Donnie commented.

" _LLLadies and Gentlemen! Please welcome, the Pack!"_

As smoke filled the stage, five silhouetted figures came into focus, revealing themselves to be the Pack. the entire place erupted into cheers, everyone screaming 'Pack' over and over again.

"You gotta love their enthusiasm." Leo commended.

Just then, the lights flashed, and several ninjas leapt onto the stage, much to the Pack's surprise.

" _Oh no! It's the evil ninjas!"_

The crowd let out a series of boo's in response. The Pack then got to work taking out their famed enemies.

"Those ninjas definitely fight like you." Brooklyn taunted, elbowing Raph slightly. "Fall flat on their butts just like you too."

"You kidding?" Raph replied. "I could take those 'ninjas' with one hand tied behind my shell."

" _The ninjas don't fight with honor!"_ The announcer continued as Fox took out a ninja with a sword. " _Not like the Pack does!"_

"Wow, look at them go!" Lex marveled.

Dingo then threw his rope at two ninjas and takes them out.

" _Teamwork! That's the key!"_

"He says as one guy takes out two opponents." Donnie mocked.

"Still, these guys are pretty alright." Brooklyn commended.

"Yeah, wouldn't it be great to meet them?" Lex asked.

"Yeah if they all suddenly went blind." Leo joked.

"Let him dream." Willow told him. "Besides, the show's getting good."

After a while of the Pack beating up ninjas and the announcer spouting cliche lines, the show began winding down. Brooklyn and Broadway got up and stretched their wings out.

"Well, the show's over and I'm starving." Broadway announced.

"So what else is new?" Raph remarked.

"We can stop and get some chinese food on the way back to the castle." Willow offered. "That sound good to everyone?"

"I'm game." Mikey agreed. "I could go for a few egg rolls. And I love those fortune cookies."

"You coming Lex?" Brooklyn asked.

"Uh, you guys go ahead." Lex told them. "I'll catch up."

"I'll stay too." Donnie volunteered.

"You sure Don?" Leo asked.

"Someone should keep Lex company." Donnie explained. "Just in case…"

Leo quickly caught on to what his brother was saying.

"Right." Leo agreed. "Well, see you later."

Brooklyn scooped up Willow, then he and Broadway took off. Leo, Raph, and Mikey soon followed after, leaving Donnie and Lex alone in the rafters.

"You really admire the Pack," Donnie questioned. "Don't you?"

"Well, yeah." Lex answered. "I mean, they're warriors like us. I was thinking… maybe they could be out allies."

Donnie perked up at that idea.

"I… don't think that would be a good idea." Donnie cautioned.

"Why not?" Lex asked.

"Well… you know how humans are to creatures like is." Donnie tried to explain. "They may see you as an enemy instead of an ally."

"I know that, Donatello." Lex told him. "I've dealt with humans before. I still have to try though. So I'm gonna go for it."

Lex then took off, much to Donnie's dismay.

"Lex, wait!" Donnie called out. "Oh man…"

He then took off after him, hoping to catch him before he found the Pack.

…

"Well, another day, another half a million." Wolf remarked as he and the Pack went backstage.

All of a sudden, there was a slight crash above them, then Lexington dropped down in front of them with a smile.

"Hey." he greeted with a wave. "My name's Lexington."

"What in the world?" Jackal let out as Dingo reached for his gun.

"Relax, I'm not an enemy." He reassured them, lifting his hands in what he hoped was was calming gesture. "I'm a warrior, like you."

"Are you now?" Wolf questioned, looking intrigued.

"I am." Lex replied. "I've been training my entire life."

Fox smiled in intrigue herself as an idea came into her head.

"You know, I've heard rumors about a creature like you." Fox told him. "Only much… bigger."

"H-how did you know about him?" Lex asked as Donnie landed in the rafters above them, irritated that he was too late.

"Rumors, stories." Fox answered. "With creatures as… unique as yourself, it's easy to get someone talking."

"You know… we'd love to meet him." Wolf admitted. "If he's as brave a warrior as you."

Donnie motion Lex not to tell them, but Lex seemed to ignore his warnings.

"I can certainly try." Lex told them, causing Donnie to face palm.

"Excellent." Fox said with a smile as she and the rest of the Pack walked off. "Come by the studio tomorrow night. We'll be waiting."

"See you then." Lex replied as he went off, with Donnie following after.

"Well that was easier than I thought." Wolf remarked.

…

Back at the Eyrie Building, the gargoyles and turtles stood atop a tower waiting for Lexington and Donnie to return. Willow was in her nightgown, letting out a large yawn.

"It's almost dawn..." she murmured sleepily. "Where are they?"

"Eh, Lexington always cuts it too close." Hudson commented.

"Yeah, but Donnie's a little more punctual than this." Leo countered. "I'm starting to get worried."

"There they are!" Broadway pointed out.

Everyone looked up to see Lexington carrying Donnie and landing on the tower.

"Bout time guys." Raph chastised. "What kept you?"

"Sorry," Donnie apologized. "Had to chew this guy out for being a bone head!"

"I thought Raph was the bone head?" Mikey chimed in. "Or was that me?"

"Can it, bone head." Raph told him, hitting him upside the head.

"It's me." Mikey let out.

"Why? What did Lex do?" Leo asked.

"I just made us some new allies." Lex defended.

"Please don't tell me you mean the Pack." Willow insisted, a feeling of dread in her chest.

"I sure do." Lex said with a grin. "They're just like us! They defend the innocent, and they do it on television."

Willow face palmed before turning to Leo.

"Did you ever explain television to these guys?" she whispered.

"I thought you did." Leo replied. "You live with these guys."

"Touche..." Willow allowed.

"You let them see you?" Goliath asked in disbelief.

"Y-yes…" Lexington replied, nearly losing his confidence. "Yes I did. But what does it matter? You did the same thing with Elisa. Besides, we showed ourselves to these guys, didn't we?"

He gestured to the turtles.

"Whoa, don't be expecting any support from us." Raph told him.

"Yeah, even I have to admit that was a bad move." Mikey agreed.

"Elisa and the turtles were both under different circumstances." Goliath explained.

Hudson looked out at the rising sun, pointing it out to his fellow gargoyles.

"This conversation will have to wait until nightfall, lads." he informed them.

Goliath put a claw right in Lexington's face in anger.

"This isn't over." he informed him seconds before the rising sun turned the entire clan to stone.

Willow and the turtles stared at the statues, then she let out another yawn.

"Come on." she told them. "I'll set up the guest beds. Something tells me you're gonna need to stick around for a bit."

"Thanks Willow." Leo responded. "I can tell this conversation is going to be interesting to say the least."

"If not, then at least very entertaining." Mikey added.

…

"You bet it isn't." Lexington declared, the second he shed his stone skin. "How are Elisa and the turtles different? The Pack are defenders of the realm, just like they are."

"He may be right, lad." Hudson concurred. "I've seen them on the picture box. They are constantly attacked by these 'evil ninjas'."

"Maybe they could use our help." Broadway suggested.

"You kidding?" Mikey asked as he, the turtles, and Willow walked up. "An old lady with a cane could take those chumps."

"You're not helping." Donnie whispered.

"I know you have your reservations, so I took precautions." Lexington assured Goliath. "They don't know we turn to stone, how many of us they are, where we roost, and they don't know anything about the turtles."

Goliath remained silent as he digested what Lex was saying.

"Look, can you just give them a chance?" Lexington begged. "I promise you won't regret it. Besides, if we're to survive in this world, we need kindred spirits like them, or else we'll be totally alone."

Goliath let out a sigh of defeat.

"Very well." Goliath relented. "I will meet with them. If it's safe, we'll arrange introductions for the rest of you."

"Wait hang on." Willow tried to warn them. "I don't think this is a good-"

The two took off before she could finish, leaving her standing there with an outstretched arm.

"-idea..." she concluded, lowering her arm.

"Great." Leo let out. "Donnie, come on. Let's head after them before they get into any trouble."

Donnie nodded and the two went for the elevator. Willow watched them go, face palming for perhaps the umpteenth time in two nights.

"Jalapena… I really should have explained Television to you guys..."

"What do you mean?" Brooklyn asked.

"All that stuff the Pack does," Raph explained. "Fighting ninjas and all that, it ain't real. It's all make believe."

"Didn't the castle ever host plays?" Willow asked, trying to find a good comparison. "You know, when humans would act out stories on a stage for everyone's amusement?"

"I think so…" Broadway tried to recall. "Though I don't think we ever saw any. Seemed too boring."

"You gotta be kidding me." Raph let out, face-palming himself.

"Look, the Pack are just a bunch of actors." Willow explained. "Look, I'll prove it. Can someone bring me my laptop? I think I left it in the dining hall."

"I'm on it." Mikey volunteered before running off.

After a bit, Mikey returned with the laptop in hand. Willow took it, opening it up to the Pack's main webpage and accessing the character profiles.

"Ah, here we go. Actor Information." she read off before clicking on Fox's. "Real name, Janine Renard. Born the daughter of wealthy entrepreneur Halcyon Renard, she ran away at a young age, legally changed her name to Fox, and became a mercenary for hire until signing on as the Leader of the Pack about a year ago."

"Mercenary…" Hudson growled. "Even lower than Vikings."

Willow began to get a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She opened the next file, Dingo's.

"Real name, Harry Monmouth." She recited. "Raised by his mother until her strange disappearance. He was then adopted by John Oldcastle, notorious Australian thief, into his guild. Arrested multiple times for petty theft and armed robbery, Harry was given the choice of joining the Military, or prison. He served two tours in Central America before being dishonorably discharged after being accused of stealing military funds."

"A thief…" Brooklyn snarled. "What's next?"

"I'm afraid to ask." Mikey admitted.

Willow pulled up Wolf's file.

"Real name, unknown." she began. "Wolf was a pro-wrestle for a time, until he was banned from the sport due to the large number of near fatal injuries he inflicted on his opponents." She had to gulp a bit at the next bit. "He was also a skilled hunter until he was caught poaching protected animals and had his license revoked."

Nobody had any real comment by then. Almost fearfully, Willow opened the final file, Hyena and Jackals'.

"Real names, unknown. Hyena and Jackal are twin siblings who grew up in the roughest part of New York City. At the young age of 11, they both joined a notorious gang known as the Purple Dragons, where they made a name for themselves through their violent and erratic behavior. Eventually arrested, they served 3 years each in a juvenile detention center, then as well as another three under parole. They later signed on as the last supporting members of the Pack."

"Purple Dragons?" Raph repeated. "Now I know I hate these guys."

"Who is their right mind would put these nutjobs together?" Mikey questioned.

Willow gulped, noticing a logo in the corner of the screen.

"Umm… My dad." she answered.

The five creatures became dumbfounded upon hearing that.

"Come again?" Brooklyn asked.

"The Pack is owned by Pack Media studios." Willow explained, gesturing to the logo on the corner of the screen. "And Pack Media studios is owned by the communications division of Xanatos Enterprises."

"This guy just keeps piling on reasons to be my new punching bag." Raph retorted.

"You guys know what this means, right?" Mikey asked. "Lex and Goliath are walking into a trap."

"With Leonardo and Donatello right behind them!" Broadway realized.

Willow closed her laptop, setting it aside before jumping to her feet.

"We have to warn them!" she exclaimed.

…

Outside Pack Media Studios, Goliath and Lexington landed and made their way inside. The studio seemed mostly empty, all the lights off and the atmosphere a bit tense for Goliath's liking.

"I do not like this." He voiced.

"They said they'd be here." Lex insisted.

Back outside, Leo and Donnie arrived, making their way inside as well.

"Keep an eye out." Leo ordered. "And make sure we're not seen by anyone."

"Right." Donnie agred. "There's been enough unnecessary exposure as is."

Just then, the lights flashed on, causing all four of them to avert their eyes. While blinded, a grenade was thrown at Goliath and Lex's feet. It exploded and sent them flying into Leo and Donnie, causing them all to fall to the ground.

"So much for not being seen." Leo remarked.

"Well, well, we were expecting just the monsters, but now we have some sort of weird frog creatures too!" Fox's voice announced over the intercom.

"It's a trap!" Goliath exclaimed.

Before anything else could be said, a something started shooting at the four of them, causing them to duck in cover. They made their way towards the entrance to some kind of maze. The walls were lined with metal, and were covered in small trap doors.

"I've seen this place before." Donnie realized. "I think we're in the Gauntlet the Pack's always running around in."

"Someone give that frog a prize!" Hyena cackled from above the Gauntlet.

"It's turtle if you must know!" Donnie called back.

"Not sure they care, Don." Leo told him.

Hyena jumped down, her metal claws bared as she tried to scratch at the four of them. Donnie quickly brought his staff up to block it, giving Goliath a chance to bat her aside. She quickly got back to her feet and took off into the maze. Enraged by the betrayal, Lexington chased after.

"Lexington!" Goliath called out.

"Come on," Leo motioned. "It could be an ambush!"

The three followed after him around a corner and down another hallway. As Lex ran forward, he hit a hidden button in the floor that activated one of the traps. Goliath grabbed the small gargoyle by the scruff of his neck, pulling him back before he could get skewered by a set of wall spikes.

"Cowards!" Lex cried out. "I thought you fought with honor!"

"Aw that's just for the show." Jackal replied. "This way is a lot more fun."

Lex and Goliath proceeded to destroy the spikes one by one, with Leo and Donnie following close behind. As they entered a long corridor, two metal walls slammed down on either side of them, effectively trapping them.

"Oh great, now we're trapped." Don let out. "Can this get any worse?!"

That's when two motors began running, and the walls began closing in on them.

"That answer your question, genius?" Leo asked.

"I've always wondered if anyone would be able to survive the Gauntlet if the traps were real." Jackal remarked. "Gotta say, this was worth the effort to juice them up."

"Dandy." Leo let out.

"There should be some kind of mechanism on the other side of that wall." Donnie deduced, pointing towards one of the walls moving towards them. "Goliath, think you can get through and destroy it?"

Not wasting time with words, Goliath tore through the metal wall with his claws. He ripped a hole big enough for him to walk through, then stalked towards the motor. With a massive yell, he tore it out of the ground, throwing it into another wall of the Gauntlet. This revealed a safe passage out of the death trap, much to everyone's delight. The four of them made their way through the hole and out of the Gauntlet.

"I think it's past time we get out of here." Leo suggested.

"The roof!" Goliath instructed. "Hurry!"

Goliath and Lexington then started climbing up, with Leo and Donnie grabbing onto their Pack watched them disappear, snarling.

"Their getting away!" Dingo shouted.

"Not for long." Wolf promised.

…

As the four glided away from the studio, they saw something airborne coming towards them. It was the rest of the clan, plus Willow and the other two turtles.

"Goliath!" Willow shouted, waving from Brooklyn's grasp.

They all landed on a nearby rooftop, Raph and Mikey immediately approaching their brothers.

"Dudes, you're not gonna believe this!" Mikey began. "But-"

"The Pack is a group of killers and mercenaries?" Leo guessed.

"Guess we were a bit late catching up to you." Brooklyn lamented. "You four okay?"

"For the most part." Donnie answered.

"I can't believe they attacked us like that!" Lex spoke in disbelief. "They were like… like animals."

"No, animals hunt for survival." Goliath corrected. "These creatures hunt for sport.

"And now you guys are the prey." Willow realized.

"If that's the case, we need to turn the tables on these guys." Raph suggested. "Let the hunters become the hunted."

"And how do you suggest-" Donnie began to ask.

He was cut off by something flying through the air. He turned to see a boomerang flying right past them and hitting the wall before exploding. The blast shot Lex, Mikey, and Donnie back as it decimated part of the wall.

"Lexington!" Goliath cried out.

"Guys!" Raph yelled about to run forward.

Before he could move, Dingo's rope wrapped around him as he tried pulling him in close.

"Crikey!" Dingo let out. "How many of you freaks are there?"

"More that you can handle, Dundee!" Raph retorted, cutting himself free.

He then grabbed the rope and pulled Dingo towards him, kicking him in the gut as he came close. Leo, Willow, and the other gargoyles went over to check on Lex, Donnie, and Mikey.

"You guys ok?" Brooklyn asked.

"Shaken, but not stirred." Mikey quoted while holding his head.

"I'm fine." Lex grumbled.

"If we're going to turn this around, we need to fall back." Leo suggested.

"Run away?" Raph asked. "Are you serious?"

"Call it a tactical retreat." Leo told him before leaping to the next rooftop.

Begrudgingly, Raph followed, with Donnie and Mikey close behind. Grabbing Willow, the gargoyles took to the skies after them.

"We have to lose them, quickly!" Leo strategized. "We need an advantage!"

As the turtles landed on another rooftop, another one of Dingo's exploding boomerangs collided with the ledge. It exploded on impact, their footing giving way beneath them as they tumbled down into an alley below.

"Guys!" Broadway called out.

Before they could move to help them, Jackal stood atop a ledge and threw a knife a some power lines above them. The lines fell on top of the gargoyles, electrocuting them. The four dropped to the ground with a thud. Though Brooklyn tried to protect Willow from the fall, he ended up landing on top of her, her right leg snapping with a sickening crunch.

Her screams of pain echoed through the alley as everyone tried to get to their feet. The Pack all got the ground and started circling around them. Willow looked over at them with pain filled eyes, one hand on her leg as another grabbed one of Leo's fallen swords.

"S-stay back." she told them, the sword shaking in her grip from pain, exhaustion, and fear.

Wolf just batted the sword aside as he prepared to take out the turtles and gargoyles. Before he could though, two child-like voices called out from the opening of the alley.

"Hey look!" a young boy cheered.

"It's the Pack!" his younger sister squealed.

Two kids ran up to the Pack in sheer joy, talking over one another happily.

"Oh look..." Fox droned out. "Our adoring public."

Willow was both relieved and worried, knowing that the kids had just bought her friends a reprieve, but praying it would last long enough for them to come to. Slowly, the turtles and gargoyles pulled themselves up, much to the surprise of the kids.

"Anyone get the number of that bus?" Mikey asked.

"What are those things?" the boy wondered.

"Susan, Billy, come away from there." the children's mother called out.

"Yeah, they must be shooting a movie or something." their father tacked on. "You'll get in the way."

Wolf decided to roll with the father's suggestion, picking up the two children and carrying them back to their parents while speaking in a dramatic tone.

"Stay back kids!" He warned, setting them down in front of their parents. "These dangerous monsters were sent by the evil ninjas."

"Monsters?" Mikey asked. "Bud, you looked in the mirror lately? That haircut can't be human."

"Don't worry, we'll protect you!" Wolf promised.

"Protect this, wackbag!" Raph yelled running towards him.

Wolf charged forward as well and tackled Raph to the ground. Brooklyn came up behind him, grabbing Wolf by his hair and yanking him off the red turtle. Wolf then grabbed Brooklyn from behind and threw him to the ground.

"Take that, you beast!" Wolf threw out.

Mikey was clashing his chucks against Hyena, who had no problem blocking them with her claws. She cackled, swiping at him over and over again.

"Come on, I was expecting a challenge!"

"Challenge this!" Mikey yelled, extending his chain at her.

She dodged the chain before grabbing it and pulling him in close, kicking him in the head. Donnie and Lex meanwhile were squaring off against Dingo, who had several boomerangs a the ready.

"That's right!" he called out. "Come at me, ya freaks!"

"Ask and ye shall receive!" Donnie warned as he ran up to his.

Donnie continued to swing his staff at Dingo, with the Pack member dodging every blow. Finally, Donnie got in a hit at the head, much to the dismay of the kids.

"The Pack's in trouble!" Susan cried out.

"We have to help them!" Billy insisted.

Together, he and his sister began picking up some small rocks, chucking them at the turtles and the gargoyles. Willow covered her head to avoid them, trying to call out to them.

"Stop it!" she insisted. "They aren't the bad guys!"

"She said stop!" Lex growled.

The kids then cowered behind their parents, who quickly ushered them away from the alley.

"It's amazing the quality of special effects these days." The father noted. "Those things looked so real."

The Pack continued to clash with the gargoyles and turtles as the family left the ally.

"Now, while the streets deserted! Finish them off!" Fox ordered.

Leo ran up to her and tried swinging his swords at her, but she quickly ducked under it. He then tried swinging at her again, but she back flipped out of the way, nailing him in the chin.

"We have to get out of here!" Leo told the others.

"No kidding!" Brooklyn agreed, grabbing Willow. "Willow's hurt!"

Eying a nearby hydrant as Jackal and Hyena ran up, Goliath tore a part of hit off, sending a stream of water at them, knocking them aside.

"That won't hold them long." Goliath warned.

"Up there!" Lex called out, pointing to a fire escape.

The turtles and gargoyles immediately started climbing up it. Dingo saw this and tried throwing another boomerang at them.

"Not this time!" Donnie declared, pulling out his staff and whacking the boomerang aside.

The boomerang flew back towards the Pack, who ran for cover before it blew.

…

Up on the roof, Brooklyn carefully set Willow down before Donnie came over to look her over. She was still holding her leg, blood covering her hands as she did. He hissed a bit when he saw how bad the break was.

"It's worse than I thought." Donnie said softly.

"Ya think?" Willow hissed.

Donnie looked around and spotted a nearby clothes line with a sheet on it.

"Brooklyn give me a hand!" Donnie told him.

Brooklyn noticed the clothesline set-up and nodded. He snapped the line, handing the sheet to Donnie as he snapped one of the line's support rods into small pieces.

"Will this work?" he asked.

"Definitely." Donnie reassured as he took the stuff over to Willow. "Now Willow, I'm not gonna lie. This is gonna hurt."

"Just do what you have to, Donnie." Willow told him.

"Here," Raph offered handing her a sai. "Bite down on this."

Willow did so, biting down on the handle gagging somewhat.

"When was the last time you cleaned this-?"

Her question was cut off as Donnie reset her leg as best he could. She screamed, biting down hard enough to leave teeth marks in the leather. Donnie quickly set up the splint, tying it off as fast as he could.

"Those goons are gonna be on us any second." Raph reminded, gripping his other sai. "And we can't keep running forever."

"Raphael is right." Goliath agreed. "We need to end this, here and now."

"Why not over there?" Mikey suggested, gesturing to an adjacent rooftop that was covered in various statues.

Goliath saw this and smiled.

"That will do nicely." Goliath replied.

…

The Pack looked up in time to see the gargoyles and turtles vaulting over to the adjacent building, Wolf's eyes narrowing at the sight.

"They're trying to escape." he growled.

"Their friend has a bum leg." Dingo reminded him. "They ain't getting far."

The Pack then threw up grappling hooks and started scaling the building. As they reached the ledge, Jackal came face to face with a gargoyle. With a yelp, he swung his claws, severing the gargoyle's head and revealing it to be nothing more than a statue. As the Pack got fully onto the roof, Fox shook her head in dismay.

"Needle in a haystack..." she bemoaned.

"We could just start smashing." Hyena suggested, brandishing her claws.

"Come on." Fox ordered as she ran off.

The others followed suit, searching for any sign of their quarry. As Hyena ran past one statue, a chain suddenly wrapped around her and pulled her away. There was the sound of a short scuffle, then silence, one of her gauntlets bouncing along the roof ominously. Jackal turned back and saw the lone gauntlet.

"Hyena?" He let out.

"Stay together." Fox warned as the group circled up.

Eying something off in the distance, Dingo walked towards it to investigate. Before he could get very far, a pair of green legs swooped down and carried him off the ground. This put Jackal into a state of panic.

"I'm out of here!" He decided.

"No!" Wolf shouted. "We can still take them!"

"I didn't sign up for this!" Jackal argued.

He ran around a corner, where the silhouettes of Broadway and Raphael greeted him. He didn't even have to to react before he was swiftly taken out. Wolf and Fox immediately ran over towards them, only to find everyone had gone.

"And then there were two." Leo's voice taunted.

The two looked around to find the source of the voice, but found none.

"What the hell do we do now?" Fox questioned.

Suddenly, Goliath burst from a wall and picked the two up by the collars. He then slammed the two against another wall, crashing through it. The three fell down towards some kind of bathing suit photoshoot going on in the building below. The models all immediately ran for safety, but one was intercepted by Fox. She grabbed her, taking Wolf's pistol and jamming it into the model's ribs.

"Cooperate, and you might live through this." she hissed in the woman's ear.

"Let her go!" Goliath demanded.

"Don't do anything stupid, creature." Fox warned.

As Fox and Wolf moved out of the studio, the photographer was snapping pictures of the events transpiring. Eventually, the two remaining Pack members made their way out into the alley. Once they were there, Fox shoved the model into Wolf's grip, aiming the pistol right at Goliath. Just then, a shuriken came from out of nowhere and collided with Fox's gun, knocking it out of her grip. Before she could react, Raph and Brooklyn came down and kicked her in the face knocking her to the ground.

"That was for Willow." Brooklyn told her.

"You know," Raph spoke, turning to Wolf. "What is it with guys like you picking on those smaller than you? Make you feel special?"

"On the contrary," Wolf replied. "I prefer the challenge!"

He then charged at Raph, who tried stabbing him with his sai. Wolf quickly ducked under it and grabbed Raph by the arm, flipping him onto the ground. Brooklyn then jumped onto his back, wrapping his wings around him tightly in an attempt to restrain him. Finally, Wolf broke free and pushed him off. He turned around and tried to punch him, only for his fist to be caught by Goliath. Goliath returned the punch in kind, knocking Wolf across the alley and into a dumpster. He slumped to the ground hard, and didn't get back up.

"Well, that takes care of that." Raph remarked after getting up.

Suddenly, the sounds of police sirens filled the air.

"The police are coming." Brooklyn warned.

"Then we will leave our foes to them." Goliath decided.

With that, the heroes disappeared into the night.

…

The group convened back at the castle, where Owen began working on a cast for Willow's leg. Elisa came walking in, observing the scene.

"Dingo, Hyena, and Jackal managed to escape, but Fox and Wolf have been arrested." she explained. "With video evidence of their crimes provided by an anonymous citizen, they'll be behind bars for awhile."

"At least tonight wasn't a total disaster." Willow replied.

She then glanced over at Lexington, who was still sulking about what happened.

"You ok Lex?" Donnie asked walking over to him.

"No," He answered, feeling downtrodden. "I feel like such a fool letting the Pack dupe me like that."

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself." Donnie told him. "I should have explained the whole actors thing when I had the chance."

"Well I learned my lesson." Lex replied. "I'm never trusting anyone again."

"Whoa, no need to go that far." Leo told him. "Look, if there's one thing we've learned since we came to the surface, it's that there are good humans and bad ones. You can't turn away all the good ones just because of a few bad ones."

"Yeah!" Mikey agreed. "If we did that, we wouldn't have Mr. Murakami, or April, or Willow and Elisa."

"They are right," Goliath agreed. "We cannot hide from the world, we must live in it. To do otherwise, is to be truly alone."

Lex allowed a smile onto his face as he and the rest of his clan took up their roosts on the tower.

"It's good to know there are still some good in the world."

"And I think we all learned something from this." Mikey provided.

"Aye, perhaps it is not the wisest to believe everything you see on the television."

Everyone shared a laugh as the sun rose above the horizon, petrifying the gargoyles into their statue forms.

…

Owen met with Xanatos in the Ryker's Island visitors room later that afternoon, updating him on what had transpired.

"Your plan worked in the beginning." Owen began. "As you expected, the turtles and the gargoyles were drawn to the Pack, who received the mysterious envelope as requested. Both parties acted as you would expect, though there were a few missteps. Three of the Pack members are currently in the wind, and I'm afraid Miss Willow will be in a cast for several weeks after her nasty tumble."

"That is unfortunate." Xanatos lamented. "Willow wasn't supposed to get hurt. Despite that however, I'd say things went well."

"Well sir?" Owen questioned.

"Though they didn't know it was me, I created the Pack to be so much more than just a TV show." Xanatos explained. "I had to see how good they were. And having underestimated Goliath and the rest of his supernatural brood once before, I had to know what they were capable of as well. All in all, I'd say the test was very informative."


	7. Temptation

In the turtles' warehouse sitting above their lair, Donnie, Lexington, and Raph were hard at work crafting a custom motorcycle for the group. Raph was in the middle of some tune ups to his own personal shell cycle, explaining how it worked to an eager Brooklyn.

"You see Brook, this handle here is the brake." he explained. "That's what slows you down. This here, that's the gas. It's what gives this baby the juice she needs to tear up some asphalt."

"Right, got it." Brooklyn replied. "You seem to know a lot about these things."

"Hey, Donnie maybe the genius of the family, but I know my way around a bike." Raph replied.

"Speaking of, you two done yet?" Broadway questioned Donnie and Lex. "You've ridden on one of these things before, so building one can't be that hard."

"You've ridden a horse, can you build me one out spare parts?" Lex retorted.

"He's got you there, big guy." Donnie concurred.

While the two geniuses continued working, Brooklyn took a bike helmet and poked two holes in it to make room for his horns. He slipped it on over his head, smiling that it was a perfect fit. Broadway chuckled slightly.

"Why bother with a helmet?" he quipped. "Your head's hard enough as is."

Brooklyn then folded his wings in as Raph came over with a biker jacket, which he put on.

"Hey, it's all part of the look." Brooklyn replied.

"Not bad." Raph admitted.

Back with Lex and Donnie, the two were putting the finishing touches on the bike before finishing and setting it up right.

"There, finished." Lex announced.

"Bet if Mikey were here he'd call it something like, 'the garg-cycle' or something." Donnie guessed.

"Well, he ain't here, and frankly, I think this baby needs a test drive more than it needs a name." Brooklyn declared, hopping onto the bike and sliding a pair of aviator sunglasses on over his eyes. He then turned the bike on and started revving it up. He then took off out into the street, leaving the others in the dust.

"So… how long do you think it'll be before he gets into trouble?" Donnie asked.

"Five minutes." Lex guessed. "Tops."

"I better go after him." Raph volunteered, getting onto his bike. "Someone's gotta make sure he doesn't get himself pulled over or worse."

"Be honest Raph, you just want to ride with someone that's not trying to take your head off." Donnie countered

"Is that so wrong?" Raph asked placing his helmet on.

He then revved up his bike and took off after Brooklyn, unaware of the shadowy figure stalking him and his friends from afar.

…

Out on the streets, Raph was able to catch up with Brooklyn pretty easily. The gargoyle was coasting down the street without a care, a large smile on his beak.

"I can see why you like this thing, Raphael." Brooklyn complimented. "It's seriously cool!"

"Glad you approve!" Raph called back. "Though a bike is only as good as its rider."

"Is that so?" Brooklyn countered. "In that case..."

He revved his engine, taking off down the street at top speeds. Raph grinned, then did the same. He pulled alongside Brooklyn again, only to cruise past him with an arrogant smirk on his face. Brooklyn chuckled, and pulled slightly in front of him.

"I guess it's true what they say about turtles being slow!" Brooklyn taunted.

"It ain't nice to stereotype!" Raph called back before speeding past him.

Brooklyn was in disbelief before he ramped up the speed as well. As the two raced down the street, they passed a cop car with two cops inside. Their speedometer went off, and the two cops pulled out into the street. They flipped on their lights and sirens, getting the two riders' attention. Raph glanced at a watch hidden under his wrist wrappings, smirking.

"Seven minutes." he noted. "Eat that, Lexington."

"What do we do about them?" Brooklyn asked, gesturing to the cops.

"Split up!" Raph told him. "We'll meet back up in the warehouse!"

Brooklyn nodded as he turned down an alleyway and Raph sped off down the street. The cops decided to pursue Brooklyn down the alleyway, much to his irritation. As he continued trying to evade his pursuers, he saw that the alley was about to dead end. Seeing a discarded board on the ground, he drove up it like a ramp and drove into the air, popping his wings out of his jacket and gliding over the wall. The cop car screeched to a halt as the two cops tried to process what they saw.

"You… wanna call it in?" the rookie in the passenger seat asked.

"Kid, in this town, there are some things dispatch doesn't need to know." his more experienced partner replied.

…

On the other side, Brooklyn landed his bike with relative ease. He rewrapped his wings around himself, adjusting his jacket and his glasses.

"Close call." he whistled. "Still, not bad for my first ride."

Just then, he heard other motorcycle motors revving from the street. He looked out and saw several other bikers riding by, a sight he took with great intrigue.

"Sweet." he let out, gunning the engine to catch up to them.

As Brooklyn rode out to join in with the bikers, Raph pulled up from another street. He laid eyes on the gargoyle, said eyes widening once he realized his intended course.

"Oh sewer apples." He cursed, quickly trying to catch up to the bikers.

As Brooklyn rode past some of the bikers, they all stopped and got off their bikes to marvel at Brooklyn's ride. Brooklyn was more than happy to oblige, slipping off his shades before plucking the helmet off his head. Almost immediately, the mood shifted to a hostile one as the bikers freaked out.

"It's a freaky monster!" one of them shouted. "Get him!"

Raph then rode up, jumped off his bike, and kicked three bikers in the head before they could reach Brooklyn.

"Nice timing." Brooklyn commended.

"Someone had your pull your tail out of the fire." Raph retorted.

The two ended up back to back as the bikers moved in, armed with chains and lug wrenches. The bikers attacked, with the two creatures bashing, thrashing, and punching everyone that came close. Eventually, the bikers began piling on top of them. Finally. Brooklyn shoved them all off. Raph picked up one stray biker and threw him aside.

'"If humans are good at one thing, it's pickin fights." Raph remarked, drawing his sai.

"If these, 'pigs' wanna fight," Brooklyn replied, tearing off what was left of his jacket. "They got one!"

One biker pulled out a wrench and tried to attack him, but Raph caught it in his sai and twisted it out of his hands before punching him out. Brooklyn picked one biker up and threw him into a stack of bikes knocking them down.

"And here I was, just trying to fit in!" Brooklyn roared.

"Hate to say it," Raph said, kicking another biker aside. "But that's a fool's dream!"

"So I've learned." Brooklyn admitted.

Brooklyn then grabbed two more bikers and threw them aside, one after another. Finally, only one was left. He seemed to realize that as he pulled out a gun.

"Let's see if you freaks are bulletproof." He threatened.

"Try it, and we'll see if your sai proof." Raph threw back.

As the biker aimed his gun at them, something swooped down and struck his hand, causing him to shoot past the two of them as the bullet hit Brooklyn's bike, causing it to explode.

"My bike!" he screamed, eyes glowing brightly from pure rage.

The biker saw his rage and dropped the gun in fear.

"If I were you pal, I'd run." Raph told him.

The biker then bolted in the opposite direction. Once he was gone, Raph turned back to Brooklyn.

"You ok, tough guy?" Raph asked.

Brooklyn was anything but. He stared at the burning remains of his bike, the glow never leaving his eyes.

"I can't believe it..." he growled, "They just attacked us. We didn't anything to them, and they attacked us."

"Hate to break it to ya, but that's kinda par for the course in the Big Apple." Raph told him, walking towards him.

"I thought things would be different after a thousand years." Brooklyn admitted.

"Humans never change." a familiar female voice declared.

Raph and Brooklyn turned around to see an all too familiar figure in the shadows.

"You again." Raph growled.

"Demona..." Brooklyn snarled.

Demona approached the pair, her wings wrapped around her and her hands up in a pacifying gesture.

"Easy." she told them. "I just want to talk."

"Really?" Brooklyn asked. "Cause last time, you just wanted to kill us!"

"That was then." Demona tried to reason.

"And this is goodbye!" Raph responded as he and Brooklyn turned to leave.

"Wait!" Demona begged.

The two stopped, hearing the desperation in her voice.

"I was wrong to attack you back at the castle." Demona admitted. "None of you deserved it. I was mad with grief and sorrow."

"Cry me a river." Raph grumbled.

"If you knew even a fraction of what I have seen for the last thousand years, you would not be so dismissive, troll." Demona told him.

"Thousand years?" Brooklyn questioned, turning back around. "I thought you were under the sleeping curse like the rest of us."

"A necessary lie." Demona explained. "You wouldn't believe the true story if I told you."

"Now that, I do believe." Raph retorted.

"Just let me explain, please." She insisted, reaching out for Brooklyn's arm.

"Stay back!" Brooklyn told her, pulling his arm away.

She did as she was told, retracting her arm.

"I know you have no reason to trust me, but you and I have history." She tried again. "We were brothers and sisters in arms. We fought the same battles, shared the same loss. Surely that counts for something…"

"That was a lifetime ago." Brooklyn brushed aside.

"Well if it weren't for me, that human would have shot you both." She reminded. "Shouldn't that entitle me to a moment of your time?"

Brooklyn let out a sigh of resentment.

"Alright." He allowed.

"Brooklyn, are you serious?" Raph asked.

"I'll hear her out, that's it." Brooklyn told him. "I owe her that much at least."

Raph sighed as well, knowing he was resigned to it.

"Fine." Raph relented. "But make it quick Demona."

Sirens began wailing in the distance, a sound that had all three of them on high alert.

"We should leave quickly." Demona insisted. "Human law enforcement will be here any minute."

"Right," Raph agreed. "We did leave a bit of a mess."

Brooklyn then picked up Raph as he and Demons took off.

…

Back at the castle, Willow sat on the edge of the tallest tower, looking out at the city horizon. She was doodling aimlessly on her cast, creating a few crude drawings of gargoyles and turtles. Mikey was walking past when he caught notice of her.

"Hey Willow," He greeted, walking towards her. "What's up?"

"Just waiting on Brooklyn and the others to get back." she answered. "He promised he'd take me for a spin on that new motorcycle they were working on once they finished testing it."

"Cool." Mikey replied as he eyed the drawings. "Taking up an art class?"

"I've been a doodler for as long as I can remember." Willow replied, then her gaze became distant. "Even if I can't remember that far back..."

"What do you mean?" Mikey asked.

She sat up, forcing a smile on her face as she waved it off.

"Nothing, just rambling." she told him.

Mikey just shrugged as Lexington and Broadway flew in, the latter carrying Donnie.

"Hey guys." Mikey greeted as they landed.

"Is Brooklyn with you?" Willow asked eagerly.

"Nah, he and Raph are out joyriding." Broadway answered.

"I hope they don't stay out too late." Lexington remarked. "There's still a few things i need to fix on the bike."

"Hey, it's just Raph and Brooklyn." Mikey responded. "How much trouble could they get into?"

Everyone exchanged worried looks.

"...right." Mikey realized.

…

On a rooftop high above the city, Raph and Brooklyn were listening to Demona's words on humanity.

"I want to help you," She explained. "Help all of you.

"Newsflash, lady," Raph interjected. "We don't need, nor want your help."

"You seemed to a few moments ago." Demona responded. "What did you do to upset them?"

"Nothing." Brooklyn replied. "They attacked us without reason."

"Exactly." Demona said with a small nod, placing her hand on his shoulder. "That's what humans are like."

"But, Goliath said that once humans get used to us-" Brooklyn began to reply.

"They were used to us a thousand years ago," Demona reminded. "That didn't stop them from betraying and destroying us."

"Humans suck, no argument here." Raph agreed. "I grew up in this city, remember?"

"Then you know the true depths of human depravity, Raphael." Demona told him.

"What're you playing at, Demona?" Brooklyn questioned.

"What say you, troll?" Demona asked. "Shall we show our friend what this species is truly capable of?"

Raph fumed a bit, not wanting Brooklyn to be persuaded by Demona, but he knew the gargoyle would find out eventually.

"Fine." Raph agreed.

"Excellent." Demona declared.

Demona then flew off, with Brooklyn following behind with Raph in his arms.

…

As the gargoyles and turtle flew through the night sky, they heard a scream go off beneath them. The two gargoyles landed, Brooklyn setting Raph down and all three of them turning their gazes to the streets below. A young woman struggled to hold onto her purse as a young punk wrestled her for it. After a moment, the punk won, taking off with his stolen loot.

"He's getting away!" Raph snarled.

"It doesn't matter if he gets away or if he is captured." Demona announced. "Even if he is arrested, he would be out in days. You've seen this happen with Xanatos already."

Raph wanted to respond, but he just fell silent, knowing she was right. Brooklyn was the same, already seeing the faults in human justice. Demona took off a second time, and Brooklyn quickly followed with Raph in tow.

…

After some more flying, the small group landed outside an apartment building. Brooklyn and Raph peered inside to see a couple yelling at each other.

"His grades stink and his friends are nothing but hoodlums!" the man yelled.

"What do you care?!" the woman screamed. "You're never home anyway!"

She then picked up a vase and chucked it at her husband. He dodged it and it shattered on the wall. Brooklyn and Raph watched in dismay, then the two's attention was called to the door. They looked to see a kid, most likely the couple's son, running out of the building and into the night, wiping away tears forming in his eyes

"They can't even share their homes without fighting." Demona continued. "They do not even notice their own young running off. Do you honestly think they will share this world with us?"

…

The three had moved across town, standing on a rooftop and viewing what looked like a murder on the street. Forensic teams were photographing the area, picking up a murder weapon to be analyzed. The morticians bagged the unfortunate victim, carting them off to be autopsied. The three creatures observed from atop the adjacent building.

"They hold each other's lives completely without worth." Demona said with a shake of her head. "Do you honestly think they would accept us with open arms?"

"What about the human friends we've made?" Brooklyn asked. "Elisa? Willow?"

"Yeah, and my bros and I have made some human friends ourselves." Raph added. "Humanity is rotten to be sure, but they ain't all bad."

"Suppose there are a few exceptions to the rule," Demona allowed. "They are a scant few is a city of millions. They cannot protect you, just as the Captain could not protect our clan. We cannot trust them, only ourselves."

"Sounds pretty narrow minded, Demona." Raph told her.

"You want an example, fine." She said. "Your friend Willow. Has she told you that she is not Xanatos' true child?"

"What are you talking about?" Brooklyn asked.

"I am talking about the fact that Willow was adopted by Xanatos several years ago after her true parents were murdered." Demona replied. "Surely you've seen the differences in their appearances, their mannerisms."

"Well, yeah." Brooklyn admitted.

"So she was adopted, so what?" Raph interjected.

"So if she kept this from those she considers her friends, who's to say what else she might be keeping from you." Demona reasoned. "She could have even be in league with Xanatos from the beginning."

"No way!" Brooklyn snarled, tears of betrayal in his eyes. "She wouldn't-"

"Don't you find is odd that she didn't inform you of the truth of the Pack until after their trap was sprung?" Demona offered up. "If she truly had your best interest at heart, she would have told you immediately."

"I… well, she got hurt during that!" Brooklyn tried to reason.

"Selling her performance." Demona dismissed. "Anything to get you to trust her."

By now, even Raph was beginning to question Willow's loyalty.

"So what do you suggest?" Raph asked, begrudgingly.

"We must be united." Demona shared. "Standing strong together and be willing to do whatever it takes to deal with the humans."

"Doubt Goliath or the others will see it that way." Brooklyn remarked.

"That is why we must make them see the truth." Demona insisted. "Humanity will never trust, or accept us."

"And how exactly do you expect to do that?" Raph asked. "No offense, but you don't have the best track record with Goliath these days."

"I've thought of that." Demona replied. "The Grimorum Archanorum contains a truth spell that will open Goliath's eyes. The same can be done to either your leader Leonardo, or your Master Splinter. Once they see the truth, the rest will follow."

Raph and Brooklyn considered this, looking back over the crime scene as the law enforcement vehicles drove off.

"When should we get it to you?" Raph asked.

Demona smiled in response.

…

Back at the castle, the gargoyles were taking their places on the battlements as the turtles and Willow looked out for Brooklyn and Raph.

"Great, first Lex and Donnie, now Raph and Brooklyn." Leo let out. "This is starting to get repetitive."

"Look, there they are!" Willow cheered, pointing to a figure on the horizon.

Brooklyn swooped in towards the tower, dropping Raph onto the ground. Willow immediately ran up to him, careful on her casted leg as she prepared to hug him. He just brushed past her, much to her confusion.

"Uh, so." Leo let out, trying to make things less awkward. "How was your little joyride?"

"Illuminating..." Brooklyn let out, stalking towards his post.

"Let's just go home, Leo." Raph insisted. "I uh… need to talk to Master Splinter about something."

"O...kay." Leo responded. "You ok Raph?"

"It's just been a long night." he replied, heading towards the elevator. "C'mon."

Leo just nodded as he, Donnie, and Mikey caught up with him, passing Elisa as they walked by.

"Hi Elisa." Mikey said. "Bye Elisa."

"Hey guys." she greeted as she made her way up the tower. "Goliath!"

"Elisa." Goliath greeted. "Is something wrong?"

"There will be." Elisa told him. "Xanatos' sentence is almost up. He'll be out of jail in a month."

"What?" Willow let out. "It's only been a month! How could his sentence have been reduced so much?"

"Time off for good behavior I guess." Elisa said with a shrug. "But that's far from the biggest issue. He'll be returning to the castle, and he'll be out for blood."

"So you have said." Goliath replied. "I've said we have nothing to worry. Xanatos was beaten. The castle is ours now."

"How do we know that?" Brooklyn asked. "What if you're wrong and he tries taking it back?"

"He will take it back." Willow announced. "I know that much. Maybe it would be best if you guys found a new place to live."

"If and when Xanatos returns, we will deal with it." Goliath spoke. "But we are not leaving!"

"But Goliath-"

Before Brooklyn could finish, the sun rose and the gargoyles turned to stone. Elisa and Willow looked up at the sun in surprise.

"Well, that's one way to avoid a conversation." Elisa quipped.

She turned and walked away, Willow giving Brooklyn's statue a quick, worried glance.

…

Back at the turtle's lair, Raph walked over to Splinter's room. He was about to knock, but he hesitated a bit. Finally, he knocked on the door. Splinter was quick to answer it.

"Raphael?" He said, surprised. "What is it?"

"I… I need to talk to you." Raph told him.

"Of course, my son." Splinter replied, ushering him inside. "What is on your mind?"

Raph closed the door behind him, sitting down in front of his sensei.

"It's..." he began, unsure of how to put his feelings into words, "Do you think humans will ever accept us?"

Splinter stroked his goatee in response to this.

"That is a… difficult question to answer." Splinter admitted. "Humanity has a nature to fear what it does not understand. It takes remarkable circumstances to break that nature. What brought this on?"

"I've just been… thinking." Raph told him. "It's just…. If humans will never accept us than what's the point of protecting them? Why should we stick our necks out for a species that will never accept us?"

"Because acceptance has never been our goal." Splinter answered. "Just as fear is the nature of humans, the desire to protect and preserve life is ours. You and your brothers have been raised by the ideals of Bushido. The ideals of honor and justice, to protect those who can't protect themselves."

"You make it sound so easy." Raph remarked.

"It rarely is." Splinter admitted. "Though we should not let it discourage us. Even humans have trouble finding acceptance among their own, yet they continue to do what is right."

"I guess so." Raph admitted.

"Though there is a comfort in all this." Splinter added. "While those who are willing to stand with us are few, they are there, and they care for us no matter what we look like. So in that respect, we are never alone."

Raph smiled at this, realizing Splinter's point.

"Thanks Master Splinter. Raph replied, bowing. "That helps a lot."

"Anytime my son." Splinter said in response as Raph left the room.

…

Dusk soon arrived, and the residents of the Eyrie Building were slowly waking up. The gargoyles stretched and shed their stone skin as Willow came out to greet them.

"Hey Willow!" Broadway greeted.

"Willow, always a pleasure to see you when we awake." Goliath spoke.

"Thanks guys." she greeted. "Owen's got breakfast out in the dining hall. Enough pancakes and bacon that even Broadway won't be able to eat them all."

"Sweet!" Broadway let out. "You coming Brooklyn?"

"... Maybe later." Brooklyn finally spoke.

"Oh come on, Brooklyn." Willow insisted. "I even managed to snag you some of that molasses you like."

"No thanks." Brooklyn responded sternly.

Willow raised an eyebrow in confusion as he walked away, heading into the building.

"What's with him?" Lex asked.

"No clue." Willow replied as the elevator opened up and the turtles came out.

"Guys, have you seen Brooklyn?" Raph asked, sounding a bit desperate.

"He kinda stormed off in a huff." Willow admitted. "He's been giving me the cold shoulder too."

"Which direction?" Raph asked.

"I'll show you." she offered. "I want to talk to him."

"Great, let's go!" Raph replied.

The two then went off into the building as the others went to get breakfast.

…

Brooklyn entered a small art gallery deep within the building. Among the many treasures and art pieces displayed, one stood out to the red gargoyle: the Grimorum. He lifted up the glass case, picking up the book. He turned around to leave with it, coming face to face with Raph and Willow.

"Okay Brooklyn, what's going on?" Willow demanded.

"Nothing that concerns you." Brooklyn replied.

"No, don't give me that." Willow snapped. "Talk to me, please. I'm your friend."

"You're not thinking straight, Brook." Raph told him. "You can't do this."

"Since when did you become a saint?" Brooklyn asked. "You were on board with me last night."

"Except while you were in a stone sleep, I had a chance to clear my mind." Raph retorted. "You're still letting Demona cloud yours!"

"Demona?!" Willow let out. "She's still alive?! Did she hurt you? What did she do?"

"She told me the truth!" Brooklyn answered. "Which is more than you've done."

Willow blinked in surprise.

"Wait, what?" she let out, shaking her head. "What are you talking about?"

"Were you ever going to tell me you weren't Xanatos' kid?" Brooklyn asked.

"How do you know that?" Willow questioned. "Those records were sealed!"

"Demona told us." Raph told her. "Some sick attempt to turn us against humanity."

"Brooklyn please," Willow pleaded. "You have to understand that I-"

"No, I'm done listening to you." he declared. "Both of you!"

He turned quickly, hitting them both with his tail and knocking then hard into the wall. They slumped hard against it, out cold.

…

After a short while of gliding, Brooklyn reached the rendezvous point where Demona had arranged to meet with him, a castle known as the Cloisters.

"I knew you'd come." Demona told him, coming out of the shadows. "Where is Raphael?"

"He… he changed his mind." He told her.

"A shame." She lamented. "I guess it will have to be just us gargoyles going forward."

"I guess so." Brooklyn agreed. "I brought the book."

Demona smiled as she took it from him.

"Excellent." she said. "Now all we need is Goliath. But how to get him here?"

"I'll handle that." Brooklyn volunteered. "Anything to make him see the truth."

"I knew I could count on you." Demona told him. "Take your time. I must study the spell. It's complex, and I cannot afford to make a mistake."

"Right." Brooklyn understood. "See you soon."

Brooklyn then took off, leaving Demona to study her spell.

…

Slowly, Raph stirred from his little slumber.

"Is he ok?" Leo's voice seemed to ask.

"Ya think I have enough time to draw on his face?" Mikey's voice pondered.

"Don't...even think about it." Raph replied, regaining consciousness.

"That's a no." Mikey lamented.

"Are you two ok?" Leo asked, helping Raph up as Lex and Broadway helped up Willow. "What happened?"

"Brooklyn." Willow answered, rubbing her head. "He stole the Grimorum."

"He what?!" everyone sans Raph exclaimed.

"Why would he do that?" Broadway asked.

"Last night, he and I ran into Demona and she tried to sway us to join her." Raph answered. "I talked to Master Splinter and he helped me realize she was full of it."

"That's what you wanted to talk to him about." Leo realized. "Well Brooklyn just left with Goliath. We have no idea where he's going."

"I do." Raph reassured. "Demona told us to meet her at a place called the Cloisters."

"Whatever she has planned for him, I don't think it's good." Willow let out.

"Then we better haul shell!" Leo declared.

…

Meanwhile, Brooklyn and Goliath arrived at the Cloisters. Goliath looked around at the structure before him.

"It's beautiful, just as you said it was." He commended. "I wish we had brought the others."

"It's good you didn't." Demona declared, stepping out of the shadows with the Grimorum in her grasp. "We wanted you here alone after all."

"Demona!" Goliath let out in surprise. "So, you did survive."

"I always survive." Demona retorted, flipping through the Grimorum's pages.

"The Grimorum." Goliath noted. "Brooklyn, what is going on here?"

"Just listen to her, Goliath." Brooklyn insisted. "She has something very important she has to say to you."

"Yes Goliath." Demona agreed, lifting her hand. "Listen and obey."

She wiggled her claws slightly, gathering a small bit of power.

"Sine Dubio Instantium!" she chanted.

The power Demona had gathered quickly shot at Goliath. It enveloped him, seeping into his very skin as he howled in pain. Goliath then fell to his knees as the spell took hold over him, his eyes becoming a solid green. In fact, they were the same shade of the power Demona had summoned. He slowly got to his feet, just standing there like a zombie. This unnatural behavior instantly freaked out Brooklyn.

"What's happened?" Brooklyn asked. "What have you done? I thought the spell was supposed to open his eyes."

"It will," Demona confirmed. "Watch. Humans are our enemies."

"Humans are our enemies." Goliath repeated, his voice devoid of life and emotion.

Brooklyn lurched back in shock.

"No, this wasn't the plan." Brooklyn responded. "I-I wanted to open his mind, not enslave it!"

"That's what you get for trusting that witch!" Raph shouted.

Brooklyn and Demona looked up to see the turtles, Broadway, Lexington, and Willow arriving at the castle.

"I suppose now would be a bad time for an 'I-told-you-so'?" Raph guessed.

"Say it all you want when we save Goliath!" Brooklyn told him before charging at Demona. "Give me that book!"

"Brooklyn wait!" she insisted, holding the book close to her chest as she backed herself against a wall. "You must trust me-"

"I was a fool to trust you!" Brooklyn snapped. "Raphael was right, you were clouding my mind! Well not anymore!"

"Goliath! Restrain him!" Demona ordered.

Goliath then lumbered towards Brooklyn. Broadway and Mikey leapt onto him, trying to hold him down. Goliath grabbed Mikey and threw him off. He then picked up Broadway tossed him into an oncoming Donnie. Lexington leapt onto his back and wrapped his tail around his neck.

"Goliath, you don't have to do this!" Lexington tried, keeping his tail tight. "Please, fight her!"

Goliath then grabbed Lex but the tail and threw him into Brooklyn, knocking him away from Demona. Leo then ran towards Goliath and clashed his swords against his claws. Leo couldn't help but feel a sense of deja vu as Goliath tried slashing at him,

"Goliath please!" Leo insisted. "We're not your enemies! Demona is!"

Goliath then spun around and whipped Leo with his tail, knocking him aside. Goliath then moved towards Brooklyn, who was quick to get back up and out of his way.

"Goliath, it's me, Brooklyn!" He practically shouted. "Stop!"

Goliath made a grab from Brooklyn, but the red gargoyle easily slipped away. Meanwhile, Willow approached Demona with what looked like a wooden baseball bat in her hands. She swung it at Demona, but the she-gargoyle easily dodged.

"Foolish human!" she snarled, kicking at Willow's cast.

Willow shrieked, the bat tumbling from her grasp as she fell to her knees.

"You could barely stand a chance against me at full strength, and you dared to face me while injured?"

"It's called a distraction, lady." Willow replied, still holding her leg. "Broadway, the book!"

Broadway then tackled Demona in a mad attempt to get the book. As the two tussled, Broadway tried to pull the book away. Demona had a death grip on it though, not so easily willing to let go of her power.

"Why are you fighting me, Broadway?" Demona questioned. "Don't you see? This is the only way for our clan to survive!"

"You brainwashed Goliath!" Broadway told her. "Why should we ever listen to you?!"

Demona snarled, her eyes glowing brightly as she kicked Broadway away. She then flipped the book open a second time in annoyance.

"You will listen to me, Broadway." she declared. "All of you will!"

Before she could do anything else, Mikey's chain wrapped around the book and he pulled it away, sending it sliding across the floor. Willow dove for it, covering the book with her body and curling up around it.

"Goliath, please!" she begged. "Stop attacking us!"

Goliath then suddenly stopped in his tracks. Everyone blinked in surprise, and Demona howled in rage.

"The spell!" she shrieked,

She tried moving to reclaim the book before Mikey's chain caught her around the waist.

"I get it." Brooklyn pieced together. "Whoever controls the spell controls Goliath."

"In that case, Goliath!" Willow called out. "Stop Demona!"

Goliath then moved towards Demona, much to her irritation. She snapped the chains on Mikey's kusarigama, quickly dodging around Goliath and moving towards Willow. She picked her up and tore the book away.

"Insolent human!" She fumed. "Do you think I've come this far just to let you stop me now?!"

She threw Willow across the room, where Brooklyn quickly caught her. Demona then turned back to Goliath, who was still closing in on her.

"Goliath, destroy them all!" she ordered.

Goliath did no such thing, continuing his assault on Demona.

"What?" She let out. "What is happening?"

Willow began laughing, holding up a set of papers in her hands.

"You may hold the book, but I hold the spell." she taunted, tucking the papers into her jacket. "Goliath, get that book!"

Goliath charged at Demona, trying to grab the book. She barely dodged him however, and struck him in the back of the head, knocking him to the ground. Before she could make another move, Raph tackled her to the ground.

"You're not gettin away that easily, sister!" Raph told her.

"Unhand me, troll!" she told him, punching him off.

As he stumbled back, she got up and picked him up into the air, throwing him at Goliath, knocking them both down. She then picked the book back up and made her way up to a stain glass window.

"We have to go after her!" Brooklyn declared, already running towards the windows.

"C'mon guys, hurry!" Raph insisted.

She crashed through the window and flew off, with Goliath and the other gargoyles following afterward. The turtles vaulted through the window as well, taking off on foot.

…

Demona soared through the sky, almost every member of the Manhattan Clan on her tail. Realizing that she wouldn't be able to get away easily with the Grimorum in hand, she quickly opened the book, ripping several pages out, tucking them into her top. Goliath then swooped in and tackled Demona, causing the two to plummet towards the ground. Demona twisted herself around, using the book as a club to strike Goliath as they fell, tumbling over one another until they struck a tree. They separated, the book going flying across the ground.

Goliath went for the book, but Demona grabbed a large rock, chucking it at him. He dodged it easily, forcing Demona to dive for the book quickly. She just barely managed to grab it before she was forced to evade Goliath's attacks once more.

"Even with no will of your own, you're a force to be reckoned with." Demona reluctantly admitted.

"What does that make us?" Donnie asked as he and the turtles came up with their weapons pointed at her.

Demona snarled loudly, then lifted the book over her head.

"You win, this time!" she declared before throwing the Grimorum over the side of a steep cliff and taking off into the sky.

"NO!" Brooklyn screamed.

Goliath took off after the book, still obeying Willow's orders. He managed to grab it seconds before it hit the water flowing at the bottom of the cliff. He landed in front of Brooklyn, who was still holding Willow, offering her the book. She took it, holding it to her chest.

"We've got the book." she sighed.

"Think there's a spell that can snap him out of it?" Mikey asked.

"If there is, we'll find it." Leo promised.

"Then let's go home." Brooklyn decided.

…

Back at the castle, Willow tore through the Grimorum looking for some way to snap Goliath out of his trance. She sifted through each page, getting more and more desperate.

"Nothing!" she proclaimed. "I can't find a single reversal spell in the book!"

"You mean he's going to stay like this forever?" Broadway asked.

"This is all my fault." Brooklyn let out. "I never should have trusted Demona. I'm so sorry everyone."

"Hey, she got under my shell too." Raph reminded.

"At least you could see through her lies." Brooklyn replied.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up." Leo insisted. "There's gotta be a way to reverse this. Any ideas, Donnie?"

"Hey I'm a scientist, not a sorcerer." Donnie replied. "This isn't as easy as rebooting a computer."

There was a moment of silence, then Leo perked up, an idea forming.

"Hey..." He let out, "Maybe we can reboot Goliath."

"What do you mean, Lad?" Hudson asked.

"Willow, hand me the spell." Leo requested.

She pulled the loose pages out of the book, handing them over him.

"Alright Goliath," Leo commanded. "I order you to spend the rest of your life acting like you were never under the spell."

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, Goliath blinked a few times, rubbing his eyes. As he lowered his claws, his eyes had returned to normal, and a smile grew on his face.

"Very clever Leonardo." he complimented. "It worked."

The turtles and gargoyles cheered in response to this.

"Goliath, I am so sorry." Brooklyn apologized. "Everything Demona said… it sounded like the truth."

"Of course it did." Goliath replied. "It's a half-truth that she has thoroughly embraced. But it's not the whole truth."

"Yeah," Raph agreed. "True humanity has some issues, and they don't think highly of creatures like us, but we still have friends out there, and we can't let the hatred of others distract us from that."

Brooklyn nodded in agreement, then Willow stepped forward.

"I need to apologize too." she declared. "I should have told you the truth about my family."

"I'm… sure you had your reasons." Brooklyn replied.

"The reason didn't tell you is because… well… I don't remember my old life." Willow explained. "My memories before Xanatos are a complete blank. I know I had parents and an entirely different identity, but I can't remember any of it."

"That's what you meant before." Mikey remembered.

"Yeah." she agreed before turning back to Brooklyn. "We cool?"

"I feel I should be asking that." Brooklyn remarked.

The two exchanged smiles, then hugged one another happily. As the two of them reconciled, the sky began to slowly lighten, signaling the dawn of a new day.

"Come." Goliath declared. "Dawn approaches."

The gargoyles hopped onto their roosts, Lexington finally remembering something.

"Hey, what happened to the motorcycle?" Lex asked.

Brooklyn looked sheepish, running his claws through his hair in embarrassment.

"Umm… It… Blew up." He admitted.

"Oh." Lex replied before registering what Brooklyn said. "Wait, what?!"

He immediately froze, leaving Willow and the turtles smiling in response. Leo placed a hand on Raph's shoulder.

"I'm proud of you bro." He told him. "You stepped up big time tonight."

"Eh, any of you guys would have done of the same, I'm sure." Raph dismissed.

Leo smirked, then ushered all of his brothers out of the tower and off to home.


	8. Monsters and Machines

Traffic in New York was always difficult, but on this particular night, it was downright hazardous. A large chemical truck peeled down the street at high speeds that a truck that size should not be driving. Behind the wheel was an average looking man in a black suit, and sitting next to him was a man that looked completely identical to him.  
Behind the truck, sirens blaring and gas pedal floored, Detective Maza tried her best to try and catch up to the renegade truck. As the detective continued to pursue the truck, the passenger noticed her in the side-view mirror. He turned to the driver, his expression never changing.

"It is imperative that we lose the ones pursuing us." The passenger insisted.

"I concur." the driver replied. "He will be most displeased if we return without the desired cargo we have procured."  
Meanwhile, Elisa was trying to call for backup over the radio.

"Dispatch, I need an intercept team at the corner of 11th and Bleecker!" she demanded. "Two hostiles with a chemical truck labeled toxic chemicals! With the way their driving, we may have a spill that makes BP look like nothing!"

Unbeknownst to the frantic detective, backup was on its way faster than she could hope. Flying above the city was the trio, enjoying the Manhattan splendor.

"Hey, check it out." Broadway pointed out.

Brooklyn and Lexington looked down and saw the police chase happening below them.

"Hey that looks like Elisa's car." Lex recognized. "She must be after those creeps."

"Then what do you say we give her a hand?" Brooklyn suggested.

The other two nodded as they swooped down towards the street. They banked off in different directions, Lexington swooping down in front of the truck and grabbing onto the windshield.

"I heard you need something called a license to drive one of these things." He called out. "I'm going to need to see yours."

"What manner of specimen is this creature?" the driver questioned.

"Unknown." the passenger replied. "It requires assessment later. Now, destruction."

The passenger then pulled out a futuristic looking blaster and fired it at Lex, causing the gargoyle to quickly move to the roof.

"What the-" He let out.

Brooklyn and Broadway flew in on either side of the van, the former having an idea on how to take them down.

"Broadway! Take out the front tire!" Brooklyn instructed.

"Got it!" Broadway replied.

The two dug their claws into the front tires, causing them to pop and the van to swerve out of control and crash into a wall. The trio landed near the wreck as Elisa pulled up.

"Looked like you needed a hand." Broadway said as Elisa got out of the car.

"Thanks guys." Elisa told them, pulling her gun out as she approached the cab of the truck.

She went over to the driver seat, pulling the door open and aiming her gun. However, her gun fell away as the driver fell onto the street. At first, the four thought that he was dead, until he began to spark and squirt oil.

"What the-?" Lexington let out, nudging the guy with his tail. "It's a machine?"

"They both are!" Broadway declared, pulling the mangled passenger out of the other door.

"That ain't all." Brooklyn announced from the rear of the truck. "Check this stuff out."

They all walked around to the back of the truck, which had swung open after the crash. The entire back of the truck was full of stacks upon stacks of cylindrical canisters filled with a strange, glowing blue-green substance. Brooklyn grabbed one, giving it a shake before looking at it curiously.

"What do you think it is?" Broadway questioned.

"Some sort of magic potion?" Brooklyn suggested.

"Could be one of Xanatos' creations." Lex suggested. "The robots too."

About that time, sirens began blaring in the distance, signaling the arrival of Elisa's summoned backup.

"You guys take the robots and that canister." Elisa told them. "See what you can find. The last thing I need is to write a police report of robotic thieves."

Lex took the canister from Brooklyn, allowing him and Broadway to each grab a robot. Once they had what they needed, they took off.

...

Back at the Eyrie building, the trio returned with their goods in tow as Goliath, Hudson, and Willow awaited their arrival.

"Elisa called me and told me what happened." Willow announced the second they landed. "You guys weren't hurt, were you?"

"Not even a scratch." Brooklyn reassured. "But we found something very interesting."

Brooklyn and Broadway dropped the robots on the ground, eliciting a growl from Goliath.

"More of Xanatos' machines." he let out, eying them suspiciously.

"That's what we were thinking." Brooklyn concurred.

Willow looked at the robots confused, crouching down in front of one.

"Actually, I've never seen robots like these before." She told them. "These aren't Xanatos Enterprises' property."

"If they're not Xanatos, then what are they?" Lexington asked.

"What about that rival company Xanatos tricked us into robbing?" Hudson suggested. "What was it again?"

"Cyberbiotics, and I doubt it." Willow replied. "Unlike my dad, Mr. Renard actually has some integrity."

"So what now?" Brooklyn asked. "We have no idea where things are."

"No…" Lex let out before thinking of an idea. "But I think I know who might."

...

The elevator dinged as the turtles entered the castle, Mikey taking a dramatic breath of air.

"You know what I love about this castle?" he asked. "We're above all the smog and air pollution, so the air actually tastes clean."

"Gotta admit, since meeting these guys, we've spent more time above the streets then below them." Raph agreed. "It's been pretty sweet."

"Tell that to Master Splinter." Leo countered.

Owen greeted the turtles with a brisk nod.

"Welcome." he told them. "Miss Willow and the gargoyles are waiting for you out in the castle courtyard."

"Thank you, Jeeves." Mikey replied, walking past him.

"I have expressed repeatedly that I resent being called that." Owen insisted.

"He knows." Raph told him. "He just likes annoying you."

For a split second, a small smile almost seemed to grace Owen's usually stoic face, but he covered it with a cough while adjusting his glasses.

"I'm certain you know the way." Owen declared.

"Of course." Donnie reassured as they walked towards the courtyard. "See you around… Jeeves."

Out in the courtyard, the turtles and gargoyles met up.

"Hey guys." Leo greeted.

"Greetings Leonardo." Goliath called out to them.

"Thanks for coming so quickly." Lexington told them. "We've got a weird one for you."

"With us, weird is mundane." Raph remarked.

"Well then, you're gonna love this." Brooklyn declared. "We found a pair of robots trying to steal a chemical truck."

The turtles perked up upon hearing that.

"Did you say, robots?" Donnie asked.

"Yeah." Broadway answered. "We thought they belonged to Xanatos, but Willow didn't recognize them."

"They were trying to steal this." Lexington declared, holding up the canister.

The turtles went wide eyed on seeing the canister.

"They were trying to steal that?" Leo asked in disbelief.

"An entire truck of the stuff." Brooklyn informed him.

"Then they're back." Raph stated.

"Guess it was only a matter of time." Donnie admitted.

Hudson stepped forward, holding up a hand to stop them.

"Wait just a moment, lads." he insisted. "Who is back?"

"We've encountered these robots before." Donnie informed. "In fact, the ooze you recovered is the same ooze that made us who we are today."

Lexington flinched a bit, slowly putting the canister down on the ground as carefully as he could.

"Best not mess with it then." Lex decided.

"Agreed." Leo declared. "Don, you better take that. You've been wanting to study that stuff for a while now anyhow."

Donnie nodded as he picked up the canister off the ground.

"So who created these 'machines'?" Goliath asked.

"We still don't quite know honestly." Leo admitted. "All we know is that they have ties to the ooze and they want to make more of it. A lot more."

Goliath let out a sigh of worry upon hearing that.

"I can only wonder what they may plan to do with it." He mused.

...

Meanwhile, in a hidden facility deep within the city, a lone figure sat in front of a large computer screen. On it, footage of the gargoyles attacking the chemical truck played over and over again. The shots were from the perspective of both the robotic driver and his passenger before their unfortunate crash.

"These creatures impeded the work that was required of us." a robot identical to the previous two declared, approaching the figure.

"Hmm… interesting specimens." the figure commended. "Vastly different to the turtles that have been interfering with our business. How much damage did they cause?"

"Two of the drones were decimated, and a canister was stolen." The robot explained. "However, the remaining canisters were successfully acquired and have been stored in their proper location."

"At least you succeeded there." The figure let out. "But these creatures could prove to be a nuisance. If only I knew what they were."

"They do not appear to bear any of the qualities of observed mutations." the robot pointed out. "Neither do they appear in our database of sentient lifeforms."

"So they are of unknown origin." The figure mused. "Intriguing."

"What is suggested of us to handle this?" the robot asked.

"Find one of these beasts, and bring it to me." the figure demanded.

"Affirmative." the robot replied, bowing before leaving to fulfil its duties.

As it left, the figure continued watching the footage, letting out a creepy smile.

...

At the turtles' request, they and the gargoyles returned to the site where the robots' truck crashed.

"We can't risk that mutagen ending up in the wrong hands." Donnie announced.

"And no offense to Elisa, but turning it into evidence will just leave it open for some corrupt cop on someone's payroll to snatch it." Raph added.

After a bit of traveling, the group arrived at the crash site. Once they touched down onto the street, they were shocked to see that the entire back of the truck was empty.

"Empty?" Brooklyn let out. "How is that possible?"

"No way Elisa's boys could have cleaned the van out that fast." Mikey declared.

"You think those Robo-freaks beat us back here?" Raph questioned.

"Only explanation I can think of." Leo responded.

"Man, we should have brought Bronx." Lexington lamented. "He could have tracked down those metal men."

Just then, a man that looked exactly like the two robots jumped down onto the top of the truck. Not long after, two more joined him, then two more, until there was almost a dozen identical men staring down at the menagerie of creatures.

"Uh, I think they tracked us down!" Mikey squeaked.

The turtles drew their weapons in preparation as the gargoyles took a fighting stance.

"Commence the action that is known as surrender." one robot ordered. "Or we will be forced to-"

The robot was cut off by a sai to the head. It immediately slumped over, sparking violently. The remaining eleven all drew futuristic blasters, aiming them at the group.

"You were warned." One announced before they all opened fire.

The gargoyles took to the air to avoid the blasts as the turtles dashed forward. Leo quickly sliced down two robots easily. Goliath swooped in and batted a robot aside with his claw. Lexington flew down and rammed another robot into a wall, causing it to explode upon impact.

"These things may not be Xanatos', but they sure blow up like his!" Lexington declared.

"Let's make sure that stays consistent." Raph replied, stabbing two more robots.

Donnie vaulted over one robot and spun around, activating a hidden blade on his staff, taking it out. Brooklyn dropped down and sliced a robot to pieces with his claws, reducing it to scrap. Off to the side, a lone robot took aim at Lexington, who was engaged with another robot, and blasted at him. The shot nailed him in the wing, causing him to drop to the ground.

"Lexington!" Goliath shouted.

Before he could get to him, a large, unmarked van squealed towards them. It came to a halt and opened up, allowing several more of the robotic men to come pouring out. As they attacked the group, a pair of robots grabbed Lexington, dragging him towards the van.

"They're trying to take Lex!" Mikey screamed.

"We must stop them!" Goliath yelled.

"Love to," Raph agreed, dodging the constant blaster fire. "But kinda finding it hard to even stand still over here!"

"Don! Make sure we don't lose Lexington!" Leo ordered.

"On it!" Donnie yelled, pulling out a turtle tracker and throwing it at the van.

The tracker landed on the back of the van as the robots loaded Lex inside. Once Lex was loaded up the robots began piling into the van as well. Finally, they closed up the vans doors and drove off.

"Lexington!" Goliath called out in horror.

Goliath tried taking off after him, but Leo and Raph quickly intercepted him.

"Hold on, Goliath." Leo insisted. "Lex will be fine, I swear."

"We're letting them get away!" Goliath roared.

"No we ain't." Raph declared. "We're gonna track them."

"Remember that- er… tracking spell that Xanatos put on you?" Donnie questioned. "Well, I just put one on the van that took Lex."

Goliath finally stopped thrashing around and calmed down.

"Then we can find him?" Goliath asked.

"Oh yeah, and the mastermind behind these robot."

"Then let us be off!" Goliath declared.

...

Lex awoke with a groan. Immediately, he could tell his limbs and tail were tied down to some kind of table. He struggled to break free, but his efforts seemed to be in vain. He snarled loudly, his eyes glowing as he seemed to revert to a more feral state to try and free himself. Still, his restraints held firm.

From an observation room above Lexington's table, the mysterious figure watched Lex with an intrigued grin.

"Do a full analysis." he ordered. "I want to know everything there is to know about this creature."

Lex struggled even harder to pull himself free of his restraints, but no such luck came. His attention was soon diverted as a side door opened up, allowing a pair of robots to enter the room.

"What do you want from me?" Lex asked.

"We desire information on your species, origin, and physical capabilities." the robot listed off.

"Provide the information peacefully, and minimal harm will be necessary." the other robot announced.

"I'm not telling you tin cans anything!" Lex declared.

"Your cooperation was optional." the first robot informed him.

"The desired information will be acquired." the second robot added. "No matter the physical harm we must inflict to retrieve it."

Lex braced himself for whatever kind of tortures these robots intended to inflict upon him.

...

Outside the buildings, the turtles and remaining gargoyles perched themselves on a building across the warehouse the tracker was leading to.

"That's where those machines are holding Lexington?" Brooklyn asked.

"The tracker says so." Donnie replied.

"Look, there's the van!" Mikey declared, pointing to a white van parked next to the warehouse.

"Then this is the place." Broadway put together.

"Now we just need to figure out how to get inside." Leo pondered.

"I don't see why we don't just bust in and kick their metal butts!" Broadway declared.

"Because we don't know how many of those tin cans are in there." Raph answered.

"Plus your friend is in there." Donnie reminded. "If we screw this up, he's a goner."

"So we won't screw it up." Brooklyn replied.

"They speak the truth." Goliath chimed in. "Brashness will not aid your rookery brother now. We need to be smart about this."

"Then let's check out the inside." Leo decided. "Stealth mode only."

Donnie and Mikey fired grappling hooks at the building and zipped across while the gargoyles glided across, with Goliath and Brooklyn carrying Leo and Raph respectively. They all landed on the roof as Donnie made his way over to the sunroof.

"I need a hole cut into this." Donnie called out, pointing at the glass.

Brooklyn walked over and used his claws to cut a small hole into the glass. Once he was done, Donnie came over and reached into the skylight, reaching for the latch and opening the window. Once it was open, they all dropped down one by one, each as silently as the last.

Communicating with gestures alone, they made their way through the warehouse. They took cover behind stacks of boxes along the way, avoid guards and security cameras alike. After a bit of sneaking about, Donnie noted a security office.

"Now that could come in handy." Donnie mused.

He made it over the door and opened it slowly, peering inside and seeing the lone security guard inside. He took out a smoke bomb and quietly threw it inside. As smoke filled the room, Donnie sprinted in and took the guard out with his staff. Once the guard was out cold, he made it over to the control console and began looking over the monitors. The others entered the room after him, Goliath closing the door so they would have a moment of privacy.

"Did you find Lexington?" he questioned as he leaned onto the chair Don was sitting in.

"Not yet." Donnie replied. "There are a lot of rooms to go through. This could take a while."

Brooklyn snarled, punching a filing cabinet on the wall.

"Our brother is in danger!" He snapped. "Can't you find him any faster?!"

"Hey, you think you can do a better job, be my guest!" Donnie yelled back.

Brooklyn paused, then just snarled and looked away. Broadway placed a claw on his shoulder to try and calm him down.

"Hey, we're all worried about Lex." He told the red gargoyle. "But he's tough. He'll be fine."

Brooklyn fumed a bit in turned back to the monitors, catching sight of something.

"There he is!" Donnie realized.

Everyone immediately looked at the screen, seeing their friend struggling as two robots loomed over him. All three gargoyles began snaring, their eyes glowing brightly as they watched the events unfold onscreen.

...

The robots had done some basic tests on Lexington first. An X-Ray had started the process, followed by a blood sample. One of the robots had even taken a small piece of his wing for a DNA sample, the gargoyle howling the entire time.

"The tests are proceeding in a matter that is well." one robot observed.

"Still, the tests have yet to aid us in discerning the creature's origin and species." the other robot remarked.

"Indeed." the first robot agreed. "One final test will be required."

"Agreed." the second one concurred. "Begin the process of dissection."

...

"Donatello, what is dissection?" Goliath snarled, barely containing his rage.

"Cutting him open to see what's inside." Donnie answered about as angry as him.

"We gotta get to him now!" Brooklyn yelled.

"Donnie, where's he being held?" Leo asked.

Donnie did a quick check on the monitor labels.

"Examination room A113." Donnie read off.

"Then let us hurry!" Goliath declared.

...

Back in the examination room, the robots grabbed various tools and began moving towards Lexington.

"Let! Me! Go!" Lexington demanded.

"That is not a plausible action." The first robot announced. "Now remain stationary so we may proceed with the dissection."

Before they could make another move, the door was suddenly torn open. The gargoyles charged in towards the robots, plowing them to the ground just as the turtles came in.

"Donnie, free Lex!" Leo told him. "We'll help the gargoyles."

"Got it!" Donnie announced.

He immediately ran over to Lex, wincing at the wound on his wing.

"That's bad..." he winced as he began undoing the restraints, "Something tells me flying out of here is out of the question."

"I'll be fine once the sun rises." Lex reassured.

Finally, Lex was free of his restrains and Donnie helped him to the ground.

"Guys, he's free!" Donnie shouted. ""It's time to go!

Before they could move, a steel door slammed down in the doorway, locking them inside.

"Well, that's not good." Mikey let out.

"Now how do we get out of here?" Broadway asked.

"You don't." a new voice answered.

All of a sudden, a pane of glass above Lex's operating table exploded, and out came a man in a pitch black suit, right down to the shirt and tie. He had pale skin that was almost white, and long black hair in a ponytail. His eyes were bright red, and seemed to bore into the group with their stare.

"I'm guess you're the one behind all this?" Leo asked.

"And you're one of those miserable mutations ruining all my hard work." the man replied. "Do you have any idea how many robots I've had to rebuild because of you?!"

"Not really." Mikey replied. "We never kept count. Well, at least I didn't. Donnie did you ever keep count?"

"287 at my last count." he said before looking down at the downed robots. "289 now. 290 if you count the security booth one."

"Then you can imagine my frustration." the man responded.

"Enough of this!" Goliath howled. "You took Lexington?! You tortured him?!"

"Indeed." he answered. "Though you stopped me before I can get answers on just what kind of mutations you are."

"We are not mutations…" Goliath snarled, eyes a bright as the sun. "We are Gargoyles!"

Goliath then sprang forward at the man, roaring the entire time. The man sidestepped Goliath's attack, elbowing him in the back of the head as he did so. Leo ran up and tried swinging his sword at him, but the man ducked under it and punched him in the face, sending him flying across the room Broadway and Brooklyn both tried leaping at him, but they quickly kicked them both in the face, causing them to fall to the ground.

"What is this guy?" Broadway asked, sitting up and rubbing his head.

"Powerful." Leo answered, drawing his swords. "Very powerful."

Raph ran up and tried stabbing him with his sai, but the man dodged and ducked every strike. Hearing Donnie coming up behind him, he ducked under his staff strike, causing Donnie to hit Raph in the face.

"Sorry." Donnie let out.

One of Raph's sai flew through the air before the man caught it and hit Donnie on the head with the blunt end.

"This battle is pointless!" Goliath decided. "We have Lexington, we need to get out of here!"

"Goliath's right." Leo agreed. "We need an exit strategy, now!"

"I think Donnie and I can hack open that door." Lexington suggested.

"Then let's get to it!" Donnie agreed.

Donnie and Lex made it over to the door and began to perform their technological magic. While they were doing that, the others were keeping the man occupied. Though all they were succeeding in was getting kicked and thrown around.

"And here I thought you creatures would actually pose a challenge." the man mocked. "Perhaps I overestimated you beasts."

"We'll show you how challenging we can be!" Raph yelled charging at him.

Raph then leapt up into the air and kicked the man in the face, sending him tumbling back. Goliath took advantage of his distraction by picking up the man and throwing him into a wall. Across the room, Donnie and Lex finally were finally able to override the lockdown and open the door.

"Guys! We're good to go!" Donnie yelled.

"Then let's haul shell!" Leo declared.

Goliath scooped up Lexington under his arm, then everyone began running out the door. The man pulled himself free of the wall, watching them go as he straightened up.

"Tell me we've got footage of that fight." he called up to a robot in the observation deck.

"Affirmative, General Krang." a robot reassured, pressing a button.

A screen came down and displayed footage of the fight that took place mere moments ago. The man, Krang, rewound the footage to Goliath's declaration.

 _"We are no mutations… We are Gargoyles!"_

"These new players are quite intriguing." Krang mused. "We must learn more of these… 'Gargoyles'. They could prove to be useful to me."

"We will begin the research immediately."

...

Back at the castle, Donnie was patching up Lexington while Goliath filled Hudson in on what happened. The old gargoyle stroked his beard in contemplation.

"With each passing night, I am reminded of just how strange this new world is." he remarked. "Still, we are lucky the lad is not too badly hurt."

"Indeed." Goliath agreed. "Though if these creatures are as resilient as Xanatos and Demona, then they will try and come after us again. It would seem the list of our enemies grows every time we venture further into this world."

"That's kinda what we thought when we first coming up to the surface." Leo replied, walking up to him. "We kept coming up against threats like street gang, robots, and who knows what else."

"And yet you continue to do so." Goliath noted.

"Because despite how many enemies we encounter, we still have reliable friends to fall back on." Leo answered. "You do too. Elisa, Willow, and us. I promise Goliath, no matter what happens next for you and your clan, you'll never have to face it alone. My bros and I are here for you, no matter what."

Goliath looked over at the trio, who were all gathered in a circle with Donnie, Mikey, Raph, and Willow. The way the interacted, it was hard to tell that they were all from different worlds. The sight brought a smile to Goliath's face as he turned back to Leo.

"Thank you, Leonardo." he told the blue turtle. "Your words mean much to me and my clan."

"Hey, what are friends for?" Leo said shrugging.

 **Hey guys, so obviously I'm changing the origin of the ooze that made the turtles from my original story so I could fit it into the Gargoyles Universe. While that show had its fair share of sci-fi elements, a race of brain aliens from another dimension might be pushing it. So my co-author, Author of the Insane, and I came up with this. Hope you've been enjoying it so far!**


	9. Deadly Force

Once again, the turtles found themselves in the elevator going up to the castle of the Eyrie Building. The doors opened, revealing Willow.

"Hey guys." she greeted. "You're early. Sunset's not for another hour."

"Most likely at my insistence." Splinter voiced, stepping out of the elevator as well.

"Ah, Mr. Splinter." Willow declared. "Welcome back. It's been some time since you've come to the castle."

"Indeed it has." Splinter agreed. "And just Splinter will be fine."

"Of course." Willow replied. "Follow me. Owen's out handling a delivery for the company, but I'm certain I can whip us up something to eat. Though I hope you don't mind having breakfast for dinner."

"Hey, no probs here." Mikey reassured. "Maybe I can even help out."

Willow eyed him suspiciously, then glanced over at the rest of his family, as if asking if that was a good idea. Raph held up a hand in reassurance.

"Sure, just follow me Mikey." she told him. "Leo, you take the others into the entertainment room. We'll meet you there once breakfast is ready."

"Sure thing." Leo replied.

...

The other three turtles and Splinter took up shop in the entertainment room and waited patiently for food. Donnie had the remote and was channel surfing before settling on Channel 6. Raph rolled his eyes at that.

"Seriously Don?" he questioned. "I swear, this is becoming an obsession."

"Hey, she's a friend of ours." Donnie countered. "Watching her reports is just our way of showing support."

As he said this, she came on screen, standing in front of what looked like the Manhattan docks.

 _"This is April O'Neil, coming to you live from the Manhattan pier, where a daring robbery has just taken place."_

The four of them leaned in intrigued by the reports content.

 _"Earlier this evening, a shipment of cargo was stolen from Xanatos Enterprises."_ April continued. _"The company's acting CEO, Owen Burnett, declined to comment on the contents of the cargo, only stating that he was cooperating with the police to recover it. When questioned on possible suspects, Mr. Burnett described them as men wearing gas masks to hide their faces. However, if this reporter had to wager a guess, she would say that this was the work of Tony Dracon."_

A picture of the mentioned criminal came onto the screen, showing a young man with long black hair and a smirk that practically oozed confidence.

 _"The Dracon family has been a prominent mob family for generations, and it seems young Tony may be trying to follow in his family's footsteps. This is April O'Neil, Channel 6 news._ "

"Well that sounds like trouble." Donnie let out.

"Indeed." Splinter concurred. "One has to wonder what was so important about this 'cargo' for Mr. Dracon to steal it."

"Once our stone friends thaw out, we'll ask them to lend a hand." Raph suggested.

"Foods here!" Willow called out as she and Mikey walked into the room.

The smell of cheese omelets and bacon filled the room as they came in with plates laden with the delicious food.

"Dig in, my bros!" Mikey declared, scarfing down the food.

Willow handed a plate to Splinter with a smile.

"I added some extra cheese to this one." she informed him. "Some of my dad's imported cheese from Wisconsin. It's the best."

Splinter took the plate, a small chuckle escaping his lips.

"You have my thanks." Splinter replied before eating himself.

"Speaking of your dad, a shipment from his company was stolen today." Donnie inquired. "Any idea what it might be?"

Willow winced shaking her head.

"No." she admitted. "I never really paid attention to what went on in Xanatos Enterprises. Sorry."

"Well this Tony Dracon guys was responsible for the heist." Leo informed. "And it looks like he means business."

"I'll bet Elisa knows something." Raph thought out loud.

"We can talk to her once the gargoyles wake up." Leo decided.

"Agreed." Willow declared, taking a bite of her omelet before brightening. "Man Mikey, this is good."

"Say what you will about Mikey," Raph voiced. "The guy knows how to scramble an egg."

...

Meanwhile in the NYPD precinct, Elisa was meeting with Chief Maria Chavez in order to discuss the case she was currently working on.

"Come on, Chief. It's Dracon, and you know it!" Elisa practically shouted, slamming her hands on the chief's desk. "Who else could it be?! Look, just get me a warrant and I'll drag that piece of pond scum back here and-"

"You have no evidence." Chief Chavez interrupted, sighing in frustration. "He's bulletproof."

"Big surprise…" Elisa groaned, straightening up and crossing her arms. "What exactly was in that crate he stole?"

Chavez brought up the file on her computer, scanning the document.

"Non-projectile weapon prototypes." she recited, "From Xanatos Enterprises."

"Non-projectile?" Elisa repeated. "You mean like lasers?"

"Something like that, Detective Maza." Owen replied as he walked into the office. "They are the latest design in high collimation particle charged acceleration technology. The lasers are just a bit of a light show, while the beam itself is invisible."

"How many of these guns were stolen?" Chavez asked.

"322 prototypes in varying sized, styles, and calibers." Owen answered.

"Just great…" Elisa hissed, stalking towards the door.

"Where are you going Maza?" Chavez demanded.

"To do my job." Elisa replied, nearly slamming the door behind her.

...

Finally, the sun set, and gargoyles burst free of their stone shells, becoming flesh and blood once more. The turtles and Willow walked out to see their friends.

"Nice to see you up and about again." Raph remarked.

"Hi guys." Broadway greeted. "Bye guys."

With that, he took off before the turtles could even get a word out.

"What's his hurry?" Raph asked. "Got a hot date?"

"Why would he want a dried fruit, Lad?" Hudson asked.

"He's asking if Broadway's going to meet someone of the female persuasion." Leo explained.

"Nah." Brooklyn brushed off. "He's probably just going to see Showdown again."

"Again?" Mikey asked. "Hasn't he seen that movie three times?"

"He's fascinated by the movie, what more is there to say?" Lexington asked.

"Movies, television, video games..." Hudson muttered. "Sometimes it is hard to discern what is real and what is not."

"I hope that is not dissuading you from watching soap operas with me, old friend." Splinter questioned with a small smile.

"Not at all." Hudson reassured.

"That's why you came tonight?" Willow asked.

"Yes, it is nice to have someone who shares my love of the particular genre." Splinter explained. "That, and Donatello still has not fixed our cable box after Michelangelo spilled soda on it."

"Hey, it was an accident." Mikey insisted. "I said I was sorry."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Raph told him. "Don't you have dishes to clean or something?"

"He does". Willow answered. "Luckily, he can use the industrial dishwasher, so long as he is frugal with the dish soap,"

"I'm on it." Mikey replied begrudgingly.

He walked off as everyone went to go about their nightly activities.

...

Across town, Broadway made it to the movie theatre, slipping through the roof tiles before dropping into the projection room. He plopped down on top of several bags of popcorn. As the movie started, he grabbed one of the bags and tore the top open, chowing down on the contents inside.

"Perfect." he declared as he settled in for the show. "Just in time."

...

Elisa managed to track down Tony Dracon to the Park Manor, one of Manhattan's more expensive apartment complexes. There, she spotted the dark haired man, laughing with about four of his bodyguards. They were making their way to the lobby, where Eliza met them.

"Dracon!" she shouted over the crowd.

Upon seeing Elisa, the four bodyguards went defensive, but backed down after a small wave from Dracon. He stepped forward until he and Elisa were almost eye to eye.

"Something on your mind, honey?" Dracon asked, his voice dripping with malice.

"I have a few questions for you about that armed hijacking that took place earlier today." Elisa retorted, unfazed by his antics.

"Hijacking?" Dracon asked in mock confusion. "Sorry honey, but you got the wrong guy. I'm just a businessman."

The bodyguards began laughing, only angering Elisa more than she already was.

"I assume you have an alibi then." She asked, barely containing the rage building up in her.

"I was with these guys." Dracon replied, gesturing to his bodyguards. "We were out doing the town."

He walked past her, a smug smile on his face, followed one by one by his bodyguards, who each took turns smirking at Elisa. Not wanting him to have the satisfaction of the last word, She spoke up again, walking after the group.

"One of these days, you're gonna slip up Tony." She warned him. "And when you do, I'll be there."

Dracon stopped walking and turned back to her, not even missing a beat.

"Hey… I told you, I'm not the guy." He told her, his voice smug and pompous. "And if I was the guy, you couldn't do a thing about it. In fact, if I were to tell one of my associates to go and sell off some merchandise to raise some operating capital, you couldn't do anything about that either. Face it, sugar. You got nothing."

With that, Dracon and his men walked off, leaving a steaming Elisa in their wake. While she was standing there, her cellphone started going off. She took it out and saw that Leo was the one calling.

"Hey Leo." She answered. "What's up?"

 _"Hey Elisa."_ Leo responded. _"Heard about the Xanatos heist. Got any idea what those guys got a hold of?"_

"Yeah, non-projectile weapons." she answered, stalking out of the hotel. "Over three hundred individual guns loose on the street."

 _"Non-projectile?"_ Leo asked.

"Lasers." Elisa clarified. "The latest in Xanatos Defense Tech."

 _"Yeah well if the lasers on his Steel Clan robots were anything to go by, those weapons could cause real trouble."_ Leo surmised. _"We'll head out into the city, see if we can find some kind of lead on this Dracon guy."_

"Keep me posted." Elisa insisted. "I'm going home. It's been a long night and I need some rest."

 _"Don't worry, the night shift just clocked in."_ Leo quipped.

...

Back at the movie, the film had ended and the patrons were leaving. This included Broadway, who clambered back through the ceiling and out through the roof.

"Best movie ever!" Broadway let out as he took off into the night.

As he flew through the night sky, he mimicked holding a gun and aimed it around. As he did, he saw the light on in Elisa's apartment, signaling that she was home. He grinned, then swooped down to visit her. He landed on the roof and opened the window, peering inside.

"Elisa?" He called out. "You home?"

From the kitchen, Elisa gave a wave.

"Hey Broadway!" she replied. "Come on in. I'm just making myself some dinner. I can throw on a couple of steaks if you're hungry."

"Thanks Elisa." Broadway responded, climbing in through the window.

While Elisa was cooking, Broadway looked around her apartment. There were a few knick knacks that decorated the shelves, a small cat that was curled up on the couch, as well as a few pictures of Elisa's family. Then, his eyes fell on a coat rack by the door. It had Elisa's signature red jacket on it, as well as her gun holster with her pistol still hooked on it. Intrigues by it, he went over and pulled the gun out of its holster looked at it.

"Cool." he let out.

Maneuvering his finger onto the trigger, Broadway began pointing it around the room, acting as if he was part of the movie.

"Hands up, pilgrim!" he demanded. "And don't forget the horse!"

He moved about the apartment pointing the gun aimlessly. Then, it suddenly let went off in his hand with a loud bang. He dropped the gun in shock, causing it to fall to the floor with smoke emanating from the barrel.

"Sorry!" Broadway called out, picking up the gun. "My fault! I was playing with the gun, stupid of me. Hope I didn't break anything."

No answer came from Elisa, much to Broadway's confusion. He looked towards the kitchen, looking for her, but didn't see her.

"Elisa?" he called out as he rounded the corner.

As he did, Elisa came into view. She was on the ground, a large red stain blossoming on her stomach as a pool of blood began to form beneath her.

"No…" he let out in disbelief.

He looked back down at the gun before tossing it aside and kneeling over Elisa.

"Elisa?" he said in desperation. "Elisa?!"

Elisa cracked her eyes open for only a second before they shut again. Now in full panic mode, he scooped her up, taking off back through the window and flying off.

...

After a bit of flying, Broadway found a hospital and a gurney out back. He set Elisa down on it as gently as he could, looking down at her with a sense of guilt. That guilt quickly turned to horror as he saw his hands stained red with her blood.

"What have I done?" he whispered to himself.

He then looked up and saw two hospital staff members coming his way so he took off. The two men saw Elisa and immediately ran to her side.

What happened?" One asked.

"She's been shot! I can't get a pulse!" the other quickly replied.

The first one grabbed a clean rag, pressing it down onto the wound.

"Get her inside." he ordered. "Quickly!"

They pushed Elisa's gurney into the hospital, hoping to save her life. Once they disappeared, Broadway emerged from his hiding spot before disappearing into the night.

...

Back at the castle, the gargoyles began taking their positions on the battlements for when the sun rose. Splinter walked out with Hudson as the turtles and Willow emerged as well. Mikey looked at the battlements, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

"Hey, where's the big guy?" he asked.

"I guess he liked the movie so much, he decided to see it a few more times." Lex suggested.

"Eh, it wasn't that good." Mikey dismissed. "Acting was way too hokey for my taste."

"And you're just the pinnacle of understatement, aren't you?" Brooklyn remarked.

"What does that even mean?" Mikey questioned.

Willow looked out at the sky, more than a little worried.

"He won't be able to make it back before sunrise." she realized. "I hope he's okay."

"Hey, Broadway can take care of himself." Leo reassured. "I'm sure he'll be fine."

"I just hope he finds a comfortable place to roost." Goliath voiced.

"Excuse me," Owen spoke, walking up to the group. "I'm sorry to intrude, but I have some dire news."

"Well don't get all excited about it." Raph joked, causing Mikey to chuckle.

"What is it?" Goliath asked. "Speak quickly."

"I'm afraid Detective Maza has been shot." Owen explained. "They do not know if she will survive."

"What?!" Goliath let out before the sun rose, turning him and the rest of the gargoyles to stone.

Willow held a hand to her mouth as the turtles stood dumbfounded. Splinter immediately went to comfort Willow as Leo took charge.

"How did it happen?" Leo demanded.

"The police are unsure." Owen answered. "She was found by two paramedics outside Manhattan general. I believe she is still in surgery."

"Do they have any idea who did this?"

"I'm afraid not." Owen replied. "There were reports of gunfire at her apartment, so if you wish to begin your search, I would start there."

"If you and your boss have anything to do with this-" Raph threatened.

"I believe the phrase is 'don't shoot the messenger.'" Owen cut off.

"How bout I throw the messenger off the building!" Raph yelled.

"Raphael!" Splinter yelled.

Raph stopped himself, taking a deep breath.

"We cannot afford to waste time like this." Splinter pointed out. "The longer we point fingers, the more time Detective Maza's attacker has to make good their escape."

"Elisa was looking into that Tony Dracon guy." Leo recalled. "Maybe he felt like she was getting too close."

"It's as good a place to start as any." Donnie announced. "Willow, can I borrow your laptop so I can get a head start on research?"

Willow nodded.

"Do what you need." she told him, sliding out of Splinter's grip. "I need to get down to the hospital. Someone's gotta be there for her."

"Right." Donnie agreed.

Willow gave Donnie her laptop and he immediately got to work researching the man known as Tony Dracon.

...

Back at the hospital, several doctors were working on Elisa, doing their best to save her life. They had been at it for hours, and it was slow going.

"Sponge." The head doctor ordered, and one was immediately supplied for him. "Get me more retraction here…"

The doctor shook his head in frustration.

"Guns…" he muttered.

...

Nighttime soon came, and the gargoyles emerged from their stone slumber. The turtles and Splinter were there waiting for them, Donnie still holding Willow's laptop.

"Good, you're awake." Leo declared. "Gather around and we'll tell you everything we know."

The gargoyles no time, Goliath's face etched with rage and grief.

"How is Elisa?" she asked.

"We don't know yet." Donnie answered honestly. "Willow's been down at the hospital all day. She said that Elisa just got out of surgery, but is still in critical condition"

Goliath groaned in anger, his fists clenching audibly. Hudson put a hand on his shoulder to calm him, then looked over at the turtles.

"And what of the one responsible?" he asked.

"Another unknown for certain." Donnie replied. "But the prime suspect is this guy; Tony Dracon."

She turned Willow's laptop so they could look at the guy.

"April gave us the scoop on the guy's family history, but after some digging through the Police databanks, I was able to get his full rap sheet." Donnie added.

"This bozo's almost as bad as the Purple Dragons, if not worse." Raph declared. "Weapons smuggling, money laundering, protection rackets, you name it, he's done it."

"Most recently, stealing a shipment of high grade weapons from a Xanatos convoy." Leo concluded. "Elisa was looking into it last night."

"And Dracon shot her in retaliation!" Goliath deduced.

"That's the working theory." Leo replied.

"The worst part is that she was shot in her own home." Mikey added. "We were gonna look into it, but the police didn't clear out until just now. We were waiting for you guys to wake up before we bolted."

"You look at the apartment," Goliath told them. "I wish to check on Elisa."

"Go for it." Leo told him.

"What about Broadway?" Brooklyn asked. "He still isn't back yet."

"Don't worry." Mikey spoke up. "I'll go search for him."

"Just be careful, Mikey." Leo told him.

"I always am." Mikey reassured before heading to the elevator.

"Meanwhile, Raph, take Lexington and Brooklyn and find out where Dracon is." Leo instructed. "Donnie and I will check out Elisa's apartment and see if he's really responsible for what happened."

"What makes you think he's not?" Brooklyn questioned. "From everything you've said about the guy, it seems pretty clear he's our guy."

"It's just verification." Donnie reassured. "Around here, law enforcement have a saying. Innocent until proven guilty."

"If he is responsible for what happened to Elisa," Goliath spoke, clenching his fist. "He is going to pay!"

With that, he took off into the night sky, the others scattering to do their assigned tasks.

...

Broadway sat on top of a large clock tower, wings wrapped around himself in sorrow as he cried. Even though a day as stone had rid his hands of Elisa's blood, he could still see it coating his skin. He could still feel the gun in his hand. He could still see Elisa sprawled out on the ground beneath him.

"Elisa…" he sobbed.

...

At the hospital, Goliath landed on the roof and found a window peering into Elisa's room. He saw her lying motionless on a hospital bed, her parents and brother Derek standing over her. Willow was slumped over in a chair off to the side, Derek's jacket draped over her like a blanket. About that time, a doctor walked in, drawing the attention of the entire Maza family.

"Don't sugarcoat it, Dr. Sato." Elisa's father insisted. "She's our daughter."

"I wish I could tell you she'll be okay." the doctor lamented. "Unfortunately, there was a lot of internal damage. The bullet hit her stomach, ricochet off her collar bone, nicked her heart, and passed through her right lung. The doctors eventually found the bullet in her spine. The good news is she survived 10 hours of surgery, and if she survives the next 12, then we'll know for sure."

"Should we… have her sister fly in from Arizona?" Elisa's father asked.

"Don't talk like that, dad." Derek insisted. "She'll be okay."

"Is there anything we can do?" Elisa's mother questioned.

"Pray." Elisa's father told her. "That's all we can do."

The doctor sighed, then turned to walk out of the room. About that time, the door opened so Chief Chavez could come in. The doctor met her gaze, lowering his voice.

"Don't stay long." he insisted. "She needs rest."

He left as the Chief approached the Maza's.

"I'm terribly sorry." she apologized to them all. "I can only imagine what you're going through."

"Just tell me you know who shot my sister." Derek spoke up.

"Witnesses say that she brushed paths with Tony Dracon at Park Manor." she explained. "The working theory is that he didn't take kindly to her accusations and decided to silence her. The icing on this cake is that he decided to use her own gun to do the job."

Even though the turtles had told him this already, hearing what Dracon did to Elisa made Goliath's blood boil with hatred.

"Any prints on the gun?" Elisa's father asked.  
"Some, but they were so badly smudged that they didn't look human." Chavez lamented. "Nevertheless, the scumbag will be brought to justice. He went after one of my people, and he's going to pay."

Elisa's mom looked over at her daughter, giving her hand a squeeze.

"I think we should let her rest." she told them.

"What about Willow?" Derek questioned.

"Leave her be, Derek." Elisa's father insisted. "This has been hard for her too."

With nothing left to say, the Maza's took their leave of the room, the Chief following not far behind. Once the door closed, Goliath opened the window and entered the room. The sound of the window opening roused Willow, who sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes.

"Goliath?" she muttered sleepily.

"It's me." He answered, placing his hand on Elisa's. "Were you able to hear about her condition?"

"Slightly." Willow replied. "It's bad, isn't it?"

"The question of her survival is still in the air." Goliath lamented. "Will you continue to watch over her for me?"

"I'm not leaving her side." Willow promised. "You find Dracon and you make him pay. Promise me that."

"I promise." Goliath replied. "Dracon will suffer for what he has done."

Goliath then went back out the window and flew across the city, hoping to find Elisa's shooter and take him down.

...

Meanwhile, Raph took Brooklyn and Lexington towards Park Manor, the last place Dracon had been seen since Elisa's shooting.

"You sure this is the place?" Brooklyn asked.

"Hey, when it comes to the streets, Casey knows his stuff." Raph reassured. "This is where Dracon likes to shoot the breeze when he's off the clock."

"Please don't say 'shoot'." Lexington told him.

"Sorry." Raph apologized before getting back on topic. "But like I said, Casey knows this town even better than my bros and I do. Shell, I'm pretty sure we'd be clueless about what's going on up here if it wasn't for him."

"Sounds like a nice guy." Brooklyn noted.

"Maybe I'll introduce you sometime." Raph said before peering inside. "There's Dracon."

"That slime ball's the one who shot Elisa?" Lexington snarled, his eyes glowing.

"Looks like." Raph replied. "Shh, I think they're talking about something."

"This buyers gonna pay top dollar for this Buck Rogers stuff." Dracon remarked.

"We're set for midnight down by the docks." one of his top lieutenants, an African American man with thick rimmed glasses, informed him. "I'll meet you there after I take care of some unfinished business."

Back outside, the gargoyles and turtle pulled back and regrouped.

"Okay, what's the plan?" Brooklyn questioned. "Do we follow Dracon, or tail his crony?"

"Yeah, I didn't like the way he said 'unfinished business'." Lexington added

"We stick to the plan." Raph told them. "Leo said find Dracon, and that's what we do. This is too big to go off on a wild goose chase."

"Right." Brooklyn. "Dracon's the bigger threat."

"Right." Raph agreed. "Besides, if Dracon goes down, so do his buddies."

"Then let's go." Brooklyn declared.

...

At Elisa's apartment, Leo and Donnie slipped in through the skylight, grateful to see that the police had vacated a while ago. Leo slunk towards the door, listening in case any officers were waiting outside. When he heard nothing, he turned towards his brother with a nod.

"All clear." he told him.

Donnie nodded back as he moved about the apartment. He looked in the kitchen and saw a bloodstain on the floor.

"Looks like this is where Elisa was shot." Donnie deduced.

Leo walked over, wincing at the sight.

"In her own home..." he whispered, "How could someone do that?"

"We're no strangers to sociopaths like this." Donnie reminded him. "Though now that you mention it, how did this happen? How could someone get in, grab her gun, and shoot her without her noticing?"

"That's a good point." Leo concurred. "I mean there's no sign of a struggle or anything."

"More than that, from what the police report said, there was no signs of forced entry, nor were there any suspicious people entering the building looking for her." Donnie added.

"So whomever shot Elisa was someone she knew, and trusted enough to let in." Leo deduced. "More than that, they had to have come in through the skylight like we did. That's the only way they could have gotten past the doorman."

"Well, unless Dracon is secretly part of the Foot Clan, or he suddenly sprouted wings, there's no way he could have scaled the building." Donnie pointed out.

"So if it wasn't Dracon who shot her, who was it?" Leo asked.

Donnie looked around the apartment again, seeing Elisa's jacket and holster hanging on the coat rack.

"The cops already took the gun," Donnie spoke. "But maybe there's some clues on the holster we can use."

Donnie went over to the holster and took out some forensics equipment from his bag. He carefully dusted it down and saw a pair of elongated fingerprints. They were incredibly smudged, and there were no recognizable grooves of whirls.

"What the-?" Donnie let out. "That's weird."

"What is it?" Leo asked.

"These prints don't even look human." Donnie explained. "You think Dracon may have wiped the holster?"

Leo went to answer, then Donnie's words struck something.

"Say that again, Don." Leo insisted.

"That these prints don't look...human…." Donnie said, realizing his meaning. "You don't think they could be…"

"Gargoyle." Leo concluded. "Think about it: You'd need wings to get up here, it was someone Elisa trusted enough to let into her home, and though the shooting took place here, someone transported her to the hospital in near record time. More than that, we've been short a gargoyle all night."

"Broadway?" Don whispered.

"I don't like the idea any more than you do, but all the clues point to him." Leo replied.

"But why would Broadway shoot Elisa?" Donnie asked.

"I don't know." Leo answered. "But we better find him and fast."

...

Across town, Mikey was running along the rooftops searching for Broadway.

"Come on," He muttered, scanning the skies for any sign of the oversized gargoyle. "Where are you? You'd think a guy that big would be easy to find."

As he vaulted off the roof and onto a lamppost, he heard what sounded like a man crying out in fear. He looked out towards the park across the street to see a man facing down a mugger armed with a futuristic looking handgun.

"Whoa..." Mikey whispered. "Bet that's one of those fancy weapons that was stolen."

"Please…" the man whimpered, "I just want to go home… Let me pass…."

"Not likely pal." The punk replied. "I'm gonna need your wallet first."

Before the punk could say another word, Broadway jumped out of a tree and straight onto his back. Mikey blinked in surprise at the gargoyles sudden appearance as the man managed to get away. The punk was not so lucky. He stared up at the angry gargoyle in absolute fear.

"S-stay away!" he cried. "I-I'm not playing!"

He aimed the gun at Broadway, but the gargoyle merely wrenched it from his hands and crushed it.

"What's this?!" He demanded. "A new kind of gun?! A new kind of way to kill people?!"

He angrily tossed the destroyed gun across the park, then threw the punk up against the tree he had just jumped out of.

"Where did you get this?!" Broadway howled. "Who gave it to you?!"

Terrified for his life, the punk didn't even bother trying to lie.

"A-A guy!" he stammered out. "They call him G-Glasses! He's selling them!"

"WHERE?!" Broadway shouted, his voice almost indistinguishable from a barely suppressed, inhumane howl.

"D-Down on Canal Street!" The punk answered. "Right by the docks!"

"Whoa dude!" Mikey called out, wrapping his chain around one of his arms. "Chill! You got him!"

Broadway tossed the punk across the park, then turned to Mikey. The glow in his eyes died as he realized who it was.

"Michelangelo." he let out. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you." Mikey told him. "Where the shell have you been?"

"Tracking down those stupid guns." Broadway answered. "I hate guns! That's why I'm going to destroy all the ones I can get my claws on."

"Guess you heard about what happened to Elisa." Mikey guessed.

Broadway flinched hard, his wings coming up around him as if shielding himself from something.

"Yeah..." he murmured, "I know what happened to her..."

"Don't worry. Raph and the others have a lead on the jerk bag who did it." Mikey told him. "They're on their way right now. Come on!"

As Mikey started heading towards the docks, Broadway hesitated to follow. However, he knew that he couldn't hide from his guilt forever, so he took off after him.

...

Willow had gone off to get something to eat, leaving Elisa alone for a little bit. She seemed to be resting peacefully, then all of a sudden, she flat lined. In an instant, doctors and nurses poured into the room, determined to save her life.

"Code Blue!" they yelled.

"Flat line!" one of the nurses called as she approached the heart monitor. "No pulse! We're losing her!"

"Epinephrine." Doctor Sato ordered.

He was immediately handed a sterile needle, which he quickly injected into Willow, but there was no change.

"Still flat!" the nursed called out again.

"Get the pads!" Dr. Sato ordered. "400 watt setting."

A male nurse approached with the pads, placing them on either side of Elisa's chest.

"Clear!" the male nurse shouted.

Elisa's body jumped as the pads did their work. This time, Elisa's heart began beating once more.

"Got her." The nurse said with a relieved sigh. "Normal signs present."

Doctor Sato too breathed a sigh of relief, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Bring her family and Miss Xanatos back in." he told them.

...

Later, Raph, Lexington, and Brooklyn perched themselves on the roof a building across from where Dracon was held up when Goliath arrived.

"This is where Dracon is?" He asked.

"Yup." Raph confirmed. "Meeting with some buyer so he can sell those weapons he stole."

"He won't get the chance." Goliath declared.

At that time, Mikey and Broadway arrived as well, much to the surprise of the others.

"Hey guys." Mikey greeted.

"Broadway," Goliath spoke. "Where have you been?"

"Uh…" Broadway let out nervously, "I was-"

"Never mind that now." Raph insisted. "Mikey found him, and now we can take down the scumbag that shot Elisa."

"What about Leo and Donnie?" Mikey asked.

"There is no time." Goliath told him. "They will have to catch up with us later!

With that, Goliath flew off towards the building, Lexington and Brooklyn in tow. Raph and Mikey quickly jumped down after them, and a reluctant Broadway followed suit.

...

Inside the warehouse, Dracon and his men were laying out the merchandise when their buyer came inside, turning out to be Hun and the Purple Dragons.

"Glad you could make it." Dracon greeted. "I assume you have the payment."

"Only if these toys of yours can do what you promise." Hun responded.

"Oh trust me, these things are nothing to sneeze at." Dracon promised, pulling one of the guns out of the crate. "See for yourself."

He then aimed the gun at a crate across the warehouse, firing the gun and utterly destroying the crate. Hun brought up an arm to shield himself from debris as Dracon set the weapon back down.

"Well, what do you say?" Dracon questioned.

"I'm impressed." Hun replied.

Suddenly, all the lights in the building went out, much to the shock of Dracon and his cronies. Hun was not phased at all, cursing under his breath before turning to his men.

"Look alive boy." he told them. "The freak show's here."

"What are you talking about?" Dracon asked.

"Welcome to the real New York City." Hun replied.

At that moment, the windows of the warehouse exploded, allowing the turtles and gargoyles to descend upon the gathered crooks.

"You're mine!" Broadway yelled. "All of you!"

Broadway then started bashing and throwing aside every thug he could get his hands on. As some of the thugs tried running away, Raph and Brooklyn landed in front of them.

"Not so fast, boys." Brooklyn remarked.

The two hotheads then punched the thugs out, going back to back as more closed in on them. They easily punched out and bashed every thug that came near them.  
Hun was starting to become infuriated by this and reached for one of the guns, aiming it at Mikey as he was taking out one of Dracon's thugs. He grinned as he prepared to shoot, but that was when Goliath grabbed the barrel of the gun and crushed it like tin foil. Hun stepped back in surprise before trying to punch him. Goliath caught the punch and grabbed Hun by the shirt, lifting him overhead. He then threw Hun into a stack of boxes before seeing Dracon trying to escape by a flight of stairs.

"Forget this!" Dracon exclaimed. "This city is full of freak jobs!"

Goliath wasted no time chasing after him. Mikey meanwhile was still going at it with some thugs. They could barely react to the speed of his Nunchucks hitting their faces. As the last one fell, Mikey stood victorious as he spun his Nunchucks, not noticing the thug approaching him from behind with a fire extinguisher. He hit Mikey over the head, knocking him to the ground. As Mikey slowly pulled himself up, the thug pulled out a pistol and aimed it at the orange turtle. Before he could pull the trigger, there was a loud crash. The thug looked up to see Leo and Donnie leaping through the window, with Donnie hitting the thug in the face with his staff as they landed.

"Thanks bros." Mikey told them.

"Mikey, where's Broadway?" Donnie questioned, almost frantically.

"Over there." Mikey pointed out.

Broadway grabbed one thug by the tail and lifted him towards him. He grabbed him by the collar before throwing him aside. Broadway then looked up and saw Goliath chasing after Dracon.

"No..." He let out, immediately taking off after Goliath.

Dracon reached the top of the stairs and bolted across the catwalk before Goliath burst through the floor. Dracon pulled out a gun, but Goliath just whipped him with his tail.

He nearly fell off the catwalk before Goliath grabbed him.

"I should let you fall." Goliath spoke.

"Goliath, wait!" Donnie called out as he and Leo landed on the platform.

"Dracon isn't the one that shot Elisa!" Leo tried to explain. "It was-"

"Me!" Broadway interrupted

Everyone froze, looking at Broadway as he straightened up, a look of remorse on his face.

"I'm the one who shot Elisa." he explained. "I was playing with her gun… and it went off. I didn't mean to hurt her, and I tried to get her to the hospital as fast as I could. I-... I'm sorry."

Goliath turned back to Dracon, who had just about passed out from fright. Goliath pulled him back up and tore off a metal beam, tying it around him.

"Come." Goliath told him. "We have much to discuss."

...

Minutes later, Dracon, his goons, and several Purple Dragons were tied up. Hun, however, managed to escape. The turtles and gargoyles were looking over the ill-gotten goods that were meant to be sold off.

"So… how many of these do you think are out there?" Leo asked.

"One of his cronies mentioned something about unfinished business last time we saw him." Raph recalled. "So odds are, there are probably a few of these bad boys loose on the streets."

"Perhaps." Goliath agreed, grabbing one of the guns. "But we can make sure there are fewer of these things out there to worry about."

Goliath then shot the pile of weapons, reducing them to scrap and melted metal. He then took the gun in his hands and broke it in half.

"Xanatos won't be happy." Mikey remarked.

"If Xanatos has a problem, he may take it up with me." Goliath replied. "Come, we have a sick friend to visit."

Broadway perked up visibly at that.

"Elisa's alive?" he asked.

About that time, Leo's shell cell beeped with a text. He opened it, breaking out into a grin.

"More than that, she's awake." he told the entire group. "Willow just texted."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Mikey asked. "Let's go!"

...

At the hospital, Elisa's eyes slowly fluttered open. As they did, she saw her family gathered around her, all of them showing visible signs of relief.

"Elisa." Her mom let out, holding her hand.

"How do you feel?" Derek asked.

"Lousy… I guess." Elisa groaned quietly. "What happened?"

"That's what we'd like to know." Her dad replied.

"Captain Chavez just called." Derek explained. "Dracon's been arrested for your attempted murder, as well as weapons smuggling, and the Xanatos shipping heist. Funny thing is, when they found him and his men tied up in the warehouse, he was babbling about monsters attacking them."

Over in the chair where she'd 'fallen asleep' again, Willow suppressed a snort. Elisa allowed a small smile to play on her face at the notion.

"I'm glad he's been… brought to justice." Elisa said softly.

Elisa's mom squeezed her hand, then stood up.

"Come." she told her family. "The worst is over. Elisa needs to rest."

Elisa's family began piling out of the room, the door closing behind them. Once they were gone, Willow opened her eyes and got up.

"You up for a few more visitors Elisa?" she asked.

Elisa nodded slowly, so Willow approached the window of the room, opening it up.

"She's willing to see you guys." she informed them.

With that, Goliath opened the window as he and the others piled inside.

"Hi guys." She greeted weakly.

"Hey Elisa." Leo replied.

"I am relieved to see you awake once more, Elisa." Goliath told her, gently taking her hand.

"Elisa…" Broadway spoke up. "I'm sorry. It was all my fault. I was playing with your gun and… it went off. I'll never touch a gun again."

"It's okay..." she assured him, "I should have taken better care of it… instead of leaving it out. I know you didn't mean to hurt me."

"Yeah… but I still did." Broadway replied. "And you nearly died because of my stupid mistake."

"Then let's make sure that our mistakes are not repeated..." Elisa told him.

"Come, she needs her rest." Goliath told them.

"Get better soon." Mikey told her.

Willow climbed back into her chair, curling up to go back to sleep. One by one, each turtle vaulted out the window towards home themselves. The gargoyles climbed up onto the roof, allowing Goliath one final moment to say goodbye. As the sun rose, sunlight shown through the windows, and four gargoyle statues stood watch over their friend.


	10. Enter Macbeth

In the kitchen of the castle, Mikey was teaching Broadway the fine art of pizza making. He tossed the pizza dough above his head, twirling it like a master pizza chef.

"And once it's all flattened out and round, that's when you apply the sauce." Mikey informed him. "You got any of that fancy, rich-guy tomato sauce?"

"Check the third pantry on the left." Broadway replied. "I think that's where he keeps that stuff he imports from Italy."

Mikey made a beeline for the pantry, returning with a set of jars with Italian labels on them.

"This is gonna be the greatest. Pizza. EVER!" he cheered.

Broadway licked his lips in anticipation.

...

In another room, Hudson and Splinter were surfing through channel after channel, trying to find something of interest to watch. Splinter poured the old gargoyle a cup of ginseng tea, handing it to Hudson with a smile.

"I always enjoy a refreshing cup of hot tea when I watch my shows." he explained. "Tell me what you think."

Hudson took a sip of the tea, grinning immediately afterwards.

"Excellent." Hudson replied. "Thank ye Splinter."

"Anytime, Hudson." Splinter told him, pouring himself a cup before taking his seat. "I believe you are looking for channel 197. That is the soap opera channel."

"Right." Hudson replied, flipping to that channel.

...

"No, no, no, you got it all wrong." Lexington chastised, looking at Donnie in annoyance. "The apparatus isn't large enough to support such a large weight capacity."

The two genii were standing over a set of blueprints for what looked like glider packs. They were designed to hook onto the turtles' shells, allowing for gliding capabilities. Unfortunately, Lexington seemed determined to undermine the project, much to Donnie's chagrin.

"Says the gargoyle with perhaps the shortest wingspan of his clan." Donnie countered.

"What I lack in wingspan, I make up for in wing width." Lexington shot back, spreading his arms. "See? My wings touch all the way down to my hips, unlike the others. That's how I remain gliding with my 'short wingspan'."

"Hmmm…" Donnie pondered. "Width, you say."

"Yes." Lexington replied. "To support creatures of your size, the wings would have to be either twice as long-"

"Or twice as wide!" Donnie concluded. "I don't know why I didn't think of that sooner."

"Well, you've never actually flown before." Lexington reminded him. "There's more to it than spreading your wings and jumping off buildings. There's an art to it. A science about it."

"I can respect that." Donnie replied. "Now let's get these things working."

...

In the dining hall, Raph, Willow, and Brooklyn were sitting around a table with a deck of cards, some snacks, and a couple of sodas among them. They were in the middle of a game of Go Fish, all three of them concentrating hard.

"Raphael, you got any kings?" Brooklyn tried.

"Go fish." Raph told him.

Brooklyn grumbled, taking a card as Willow grinned mischievously.

"I'll take your Kings, Brooklyn." she told him, holding out her hand.

Brooklyn reluctantly tossed over his kings to her, which she happily took, laying down the remaining kings.

"Another group for me." she grinned. "It's like you two aren't even trying."

Brooklyn and Raph just looked at each other before returning to their game in reluctance.

...

In the library, Leo was sitting on the floor meditating while Goliath was sitting on a chair reading a book. Goliath glanced down at Leo, more than a little intrigued by what the turtle was doing. He had been sitting there for almost an hour, and did not seem to have moved an inch.

"You've been sitting there for quite some time, Leonardo." Goliath noted.

"I'm working on my meditation." Leo told him, not even opening his eyes.

"Meditation?" Goliath repeated curiously.

"A ninjutsu technique that helps me balance my body and mind." Leo answered. "It helps me obtain a sense of peace in the world." Goliath let out a sigh at that, closing his book before setting it aside.

"And it… works?" he questioned.

"When done right." Leo replied.

"Perhaps… you'd be willing to teach me." Goliath suggested.

Leo perked up, turning to Goliath smiling.

"Sure."

...

In Ryker's Island Penitentiary, David Xanatos marked off another day on his calendar. His release date wasn't far, falling on the 4th of January. He smirked slightly at. There was a note tacked onto the date that read 'Willow's 18th birthday'. He looked at the note and smiled, then went about his day.

He went to the prison mess hall, picking at his dinner with his usual amount of disgust.

"Just like mom used to make." He joked. "If mom was a prison cook."

After his less than appetizing meal, Xanatos headed towards the visitor's room, where he met with Owen. His manservant took his seat, maintaining his usual stoic expression.

"You seem in high spirits, sir." Owen remarked. "I've never known one to be so jovial while incarcerated."

"My time in prison is almost over." Xanatos informed him. "A few more days and I'll be a free man. I'm looking forward to returning home, seeing my daughter again."

"You never said what you wanted done with the gargoyles." Owen told him. "It would be easy enough to destroy them during the day when the turtles are absent."

"No, Willow would kill us both." Xanatos replied. "Still, I can't exactly have them underfoot when I get home."

All of a sudden, the door to the visitor's room opened, allowing a single guard to enter. He was a rather large, older looking man with a clean-cut beard and eyes that were far older. Owen looked up at him in confusion/

"I believe I still have ten minutes left." he pointed out.

"Yer time matters little to me, Mr. Burnett." The man informed him in a thick Scottish accent. "I'm here for Mr. Xanatos. I have a proposition for him"

"What kind of proposition?" Xanatos asked.

"It's about yer little… infestation." the man explained. "A set of nocturnal beasts that seek te drive ye from yer own home."

"I see." Xanatos noted. "And what would you be asking in return Mr…."

"Call me… Macbeth."

...

That evening, a couple of minutes before sunset, Willow helped to escort Elisa up onto the gargoyles' tower. She was out of the hospital, but was still using crutches to get around until further notice. Once they reached the top, they were greeted by an unfamiliar sight. The old man from the prison was now standing on the battlements, looking over the gargoyle statues with a knowing glint in his eyes.

"Hey!" Willow called out. "Who are you, and how did you get up here?! Did Owen let you in?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes." the old man answered.

"Well, this is my home, and I demand to know who you are!" Willow snapped.

"I'd answer her, buddy." Elisa warned. "You won't like what happens if you cross her."

"I'm called Macbeth." He answered.

Willow snorted.

"Seriously?" she questioned. "What is this, some sort of early birthday prank? Clearly my dad told you I like Shakespeare and-"

"Believe me or don't, that is your choice Miss Willow." Macbeth interjected. "But perhaps your friends will be a bit more… open minded."

At that moment, the elevator opened up, revealing the turtles carrying various party supplies in their arms. Seeing Willow standing there, they quickly tossed the party supplies aside, trying to appear casual.

"Hey… Willow!" Mikey called out. "Aren't you… supposed to be still asleep?"

"I was helping Elisa get up the stairs." she replied, her eyes never leaving Macbeth. "That's when we found this guy."

"And you are?" Raph asked.

"My name is Macbeth." He said again.

"Ok, 'Macbeth'." Donnie said, emphasizing his possibly fake name. "What are you doing here?"

"I'll explain in a moment." Macbeth told him.

Finally, the sun went down, and the stone skin of the gargoyles began to crack. They stretched, howled, and yawned, their skin shattering in order to release their monstrous occupants. As the gargoyles turned towards their friends, their gazes narrowed onto Macbeth.

"Hey guys." Lexington greeted. "Who's this?"

"My name, as I have explained to your friends already, is Macbeth." he answered. "I have a proposition for your clan."

"What kind of proposition?" Goliath asked.

"This castle will soon be returned to its rightful owner." Macbeth explained. "You need a new home, and I gladly offer you my own. Your friends would be welcome anytime, including the detective and Miss Xanatos."

"I'm afraid we must refuse." Goliath responded.

"And I'm afraid I must insist." Macbeth retorted. "I would not stoop so low as to attack you during the day. But now…"

"You ain't attackin anybody, pal." Raph replied, drawing his sai. "Now why don't you back off before I make you?"

"I wouldn't do that, lad." Macbeth warned. "You're no match for me."

"Right." Raph scoffed. "Whatcha gonna do, hit me with your walking stick."

Macbeth responded by grabbing Raph's arm and flipping him over his head, sending him colliding with the wall.

"Raph!" the other turtles exclaimed.

The other turtles ran towards Macbeth, but he drew a gun from his trench coat, firing it at the group. A small grenade was launched, one that exploded in a cloud of green smoke. Using the cover, he quickly ran forward and kicked Broadway into Hudson, knocking them off the tower and onto the ground below. He then turned around and punched at Leo, who was coming in from behind him. As Leo fell to the ground, Bronx charged at Macbeth, but he quickly sidestepped him, causing him to plow into Lexington. Macbeth then took out another gun and fired at them, shooting out a net that caught them. The net electrified, much to Willow's horror.

"Guys!" she screamed, running to try and aid them.

Macbeth quickly pulled out a bola and threw it at Willow, causing it to wrap around her legs and cause her to fall to the ground. She fell hard, struggling to try and free herself. Brooklyn saw her fall and his eyes began to glow.

"Don't touch her!" he howled, charging at Macbeth.

Macbeth grabbed Brooklyn as he came up and the two tumbled over the side of the tower. Donnie saw this and he quickly followed after. As the three landed, Macbeth shot another net at Donnie and Brooklyn, trapping them both and electrocuting them.

"No!" Goliath howled.

Goliath then dropped down towards them, but Macbeth quickly shot at the wall behind him, causing an explosion that knocked him back.

"While this fight has been enjoyable, if it continues, I fear I may cause irreparable damage to this beautiful castle." Macbeth lamented. "So I suggest we continue this elsewhere."

"If you believe I'm just going to let you leave-" Goliath told him.

"I wasn't giving you a choice, monster." Macbeth interrupted.

Macbeth then took out a remote control and pressed a few buttons on it. This summoned a large aircraft that dropped down two claws, picking up Donnie, Brooklyn, Lex, and Bronx. Willow saw them go and desperately grabbed onto the net, trying to save them.

"Let them go!" she cried out.

"I'd rather you didn't do that girl!" Macbeth told her. "It's a long way down."

She kept her grip, refusing to let go. Rolling his eyes, Macbeth lowered a platform for himself to step onto. As he rose up towards the craft, he grabbed Willow and pulled her on.

"If you insist on coming, you might as well ride inside." He told her.

As the craft took off, Leo pulled out a turtle tracker and threw it at the craft. It landed right on the underbelly of the ship as it took off into the night.

"He got Donnie!" Mikey cried out.

"He got Brooklyn, Lex and Bronx too!" Broadway exclaimed.

"Willow too." Leo added.

"This is what I was telling you about, Goliath!" Elisa told him. "You're not safe here!"

"I don't want to hear this anymore!" Goliath dismissed.

"Well too bad!" Elisa declared, getting in his face. "You just lost half your clan, and even worse, your friends got dragged into this too! What's it going to take for you to realize this castle isn't your home anymore?!"

"You don't understand!" Goliath yelled. "We've lost our clan, our world, our time! This castle is all we have left!"

"What good is a castle if you're clan is dead!" Leo interjected.

Everyone looked at Leo in surprise, none of them having expected the blue turtle to be so vocal.

"Look," Leo continued after taking a breath. "I know this place means a lot to you, but with guys like Macbeth and Xanatos knowing you're here, it makes you an easy target. What's gonna happen if Xanatos decides to take a sledgehammer to you guys at high noon? Elisa, my bros, and I can't protect you all the time, and neither can Willow."

Goliath fumed a bit in response to that.

"Listen, you may have lost a lot," Leo continued. "But your clan is still alive. Are you willing to risk that over a pile of stone?"

Goliath was silent for a minute, thinking over everything Leo had said.

"Perhaps… you may be right." he finally relented.

"So, what now?" Mikey asked.

"You three will join me in rescuing the others." Goliath spoke before turning to Broadway and Hudson. "You two… help Elisa find us a new home."

"You got it, Goliath." Broadway replied.

"Good luck, lads." Hudson told them. "Be careful. This Macbeth… there is something about him that is unnatural."

"Indeed." Goliath agreed.

With that, Goliath took off. Leo, Raph, and Mikey went towards the elevator so they could follow.

...

Meanwhile, inside a grand and magnificent mansion on a cliff overlooking the ocean, Willow was pacing around an ornate bedroom. She had been placed there after arriving at the mansion, and had tried everything to try and get the door open. Unfortunately, it was bolted shut, and the balcony outside the large window lead out over the cliff, making that escape route impossible.

She ceased her pacing as she heard the door open, Macbeth entering the room. She eyed him angrily, facing him.

"What did you do with my friends?!" She demanded.

"They're alive, if you're worried about that." He reassured.

"Why did you come after them?" she pressed. "Did my dad send you?"

"I offered to remove these pests for him, yes." Macbeth confirmed. "Though, that was more or less a cover story."

Willow blinked at that, suddenly feeling a twinge of fear course through her.

"Just who are you?" she questioned. "Really?"

"You'd never believe me if I told you." Macbeth told her. "Just relax and try to enjoy the accommodations."

With that, he exited the room, leaving Willow alone to contemplate Macbeth's words.

...

Deep within the bowels of Macbeth's basement, the rest of his ill-gotten guests sat in metal cages. Brooklyn, Lexington and Donnie occupied one, while Bronx was locked in the other.

"Who is this Macbeth guy anyway?" Brooklyn asked.

"Well the name sounds familiar." Lexington replied.

"It should." Donnie told them. "Macbeth is the name of a character in a play. The story was about a Scottish King who took the throne after slaying the true king. He was wracked with guilt and plagued by ghosts until he eventually was slain for his crimes. It's one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies."

"You know, I think I remember Goliath and Willow talking about that story." Lex remembered.

"You ever read it?" Brooklyn asked.

"No." Lex answered.

"Well maybe we should." Brooklyn remarked.

"You guys don't seriously think this is the true Macbeth do you?" Donnie asked. "That was just a story. And even if it wasn't, it took place hundreds of years ago."

"You're a mutant turtle that lives with a mutant rat, fights robots, and is best friends with 1000 year old gargoyles." Brooklyn reminded him. "I'm surprised you still have such a limited belief in what's possible."

Donnie was about to respond, but he just couldn't find the words.

...

Elisa, Broadway, and Hudson flew through the night, the former safely in the grip on Broadway.

"I'm surprised Leonardo finally talked Goliath into this." Hudson admitted.

"Maybe I should have asked him for help from the beginning." Elisa remarked. "Maybe then this whole situation could have been avoided."

"Don't blame yourself, Elisa." Broadway insisted.

"The lad is right." Hudson agreed. "Ye aren't to blame for what happened this night. We all new Xanatos would move against us eventually."

Just then, a thought came to Broadway, one that soured his mood.

"Wait… if we no longer live in the castle, does that mean we can't see Willow anymore?" he questioned.

"I guess that's up to her." Elisa answered. "We'll know once the time comes."

...

Brooklyn poked at the bars, shocking himself as the lights dimmed visibly.

"Ow..." he let out, trying again and getting the same result, "Ow..."

He did this about three more times before Donnie had enough.

"Will you give that a rest?" he insisted.

"I don't see you trying to find a way out of this mess." Brooklyn snapped.

He poked it again, and once again the lights dimmed.

"Ow..." he said.

Lexington looked around the room, seeing the lights dim again as Brooklyn poked the bars one more time.

"Ow..." he let out before turning to his two cellmates, "Anytime you two want to offer up ideas."

"Donatello, did you see the way the lights dimmed when Brooklyn touched the bars?" he asked.

"Actually, yeah." Donnie answered, examining the two cages. "Channeling power into these cages must be incredibly taxing on the mansion's power grid."

"And I'll bet that it can't charge both at once." Lex surmised.

"So if one cage receives a surplus of power, the other will be vulnerable enough for Bronx to escape." Donnie surmised.

"Only question is, how we gonna do that?" Brooklyn asked.

"I have an idea." Donnie told him. "But you're not gonna like it."

"Oh." Brooklyn realized. "Terrific."

"We'll do it on three." Donnie told him. "One… two… three!"

With that, Donnie, Lexington and Brooklyn grabbed hold of the bars of the cage. The bars immediately became charged with electricity, shocking the three of them.

"Bronx! Now!" Lexington yelled.

Bronx looked over at the three writhing prisoners, then at his own cage. He chomped down on a set of bars, ripping them free so he had a big enough gap to escape out of. Once he was through, the others released the bars, dropping to the bottom of the cage as Bronx came over to them. He sniffed and whined slightly, worried about them.

"Get… help… Bronx." Lexington told him.

Bronx nodded once, then charged out of the basement. He didn't let anything deter him, smashing right through the door of Macbeth's mansion before running back towards the city.

...

As Goliath glided across the city, the turtles dashed across the rooftops following the tracker Leo threw on Macbeth's aircraft.

"How much farther Leo?" Raph asked.

"Still a ways outside the city." Leo reported.

"Man, I hope Donnie's okay." Mikey lamented.

As Mikey looked down at the streets, the sounds of screeching tires and screams of terrified New Yorkers filled his ears. All of the turtles skidded to a stop, Goliath landing next to them.

"What is it?" he questioned.

"Does that answer your question?" Raph asked, pointing down at the street.

They all looked down and saw a familiar looking blue gargoyle dog running right down the center of Bleecker Street.

"Bronx!" Mikey cried out.

Goliath gasped at the sight, quickly spreading his wings.

"Get down to ground level." he commanded. "We must get Bronx out of the street!"

"But we can't let the humans see us too." Leo reasoned.

"With all the carnage Bronx is leaving behind him, I doubt they'll even notice us." Raph replied.

Seeing his brother's point, Leo led the two turtles down into the adjoining alley. Goliath glided down as well. Once all of them hit the ground, Leo turned to Mikey.

"Think you have enough smoke bombs to cause a distraction?" he asked.

"Oh yeah." Mikey confirmed, pulling a few out.

"Aim them at Bronx." Leo commanded. "Goliath, once the smoke forms, grab Bronx and get back here as quick as you can."

"Right." Goliath replied.

Mikey then chucked the cluster of smoke bombs near Bronx, engulfing him in purple smoke. Goliath seized the opportunity to dash out and grab Bronx, pulling him back into the ally. He set him down, giving the gargoyle dog a pat on the head.

"I do not know how you escaped, but you must help us rescue the others." Goliath insisted.

Bronx let out a bark, snarling in anticipation.

"I hope he's not as heavy as he looks." Raph remarked.

Goliath just began scaling the building, Bronx doing the same. The turtles followed after their gargoyle friend, continuing their rescue attempt.

...

Later, Goliath, Bronx, and the turtles arrived at Macbeth's mansion.

"For an evil gargoyle hunter, the guy cleans up nice." Mikey commended.

"Now we just need to get inside." Leo surmised.

"I think Bronx already provided us a way in." Raph reported, gesturing to the front door with the large hole in it.

The turtles made their way through the hole as Goliath just smashed the door to pieces. They were all greeted by Macbeth standing before them.

"Don't bother knocking." He remarked. "After all, we're all friends."

"You attack us and kidnap our friends and you think we're friends?" Raph asked. "Buddy, you have seriously lost it."

Macbeth just chuckled, shaking his head.

"My dear boy, you have no idea how much I have lost over the years." he commented. "Now, why don't you three run along? I have business with your gargoyle friend."

"Go." Goliath told him. "Find the others. I will deal with Macbeth."

"Smack him one for Donnie." Mikey told him as they ran off.

The turtles disappeared deeper into the castle with Bronx right behind them. Goliath watched them go, then turned to face Macbeth.

"Go ahead then." Macbeth challenged, drawing his gun on him.

Goliath backed away slowly, growling angrily as his eyes began to glow.

"Smart beast." Macbeth said, inching towards an adjacent hallway. But you'll lose either way. I bested you in your own home. You think I wouldn't be ready for you in my own?"

He took off down the hallway, and Goliath quickly followed him. The elegant hall quickly turned into a stone tunnel, and as Macbeth darted through an archway, a large wooden door slammed down after him. Goliath pounded on the door in anger, his punches not making a dent. His howls echoed through the castle as he scratch at the wood.

...

Down below, Goliath's roars could be heard by Brooklyn, Lexington, and Donnie.

"Bronx must have found Goliath." Lex guessed.

"That would be a safe bet." Donnie agreed.

"Yep." Brooklyn concluded.

...

Up in Willow's room, the roar reached her ears as well. She jumped to her feet, grinning widely.

"Goliath!" she cheered. "Jalapeña!"

Goliath finally managed to bust through the door, and he quickly took off down the stairs on the other side. He stalked through the hallways like a panther, peering through the different archways before continuing on his path.

As he went to go through one arch, a large metal gate suddenly slammed shut in front of him. He went to grab it, only to find that it was electrified. Angrily, he grabbed a nearby suit of armor and chucked it at the gate. As he did this, he heard movement behind him.

Macbeth laughed at Goliath before letting off a shot with his net gun. Goliath grabbed a roman bust and tossed it, using it to deflect the net. Macbeth then took off down the hallway he'd come from, Goliath hot on his tail.

A large metal door cut him off once more, but Goliath made quick work of it, tearing through the metal is if it were tissue paper. However, all he found on the other end of the door was a large brick wall. The howl Goliath let out was so inhumane, so bestial, that anybody would have instinctively thought to duck, cover, a pray whatever made that sound never found them.

Now even more enraged, Goliath tore through the wall brick by brick, claws ripping the stone into rubble. He could see light on the other side, and that only added fuel to his proverbial fire. Once he'd cleared the wall, he found himself standing in a large room full of full body mirrors.  
He walked in slowly, examining the mirrors closely. He then spotted what he thought was Macbeth and went to charge. All he ended up doing, however, was rebounding off the glass hard.

"It's not that easy, monster." A different reflection of Macbeth explained.

"Why are you doing this?" Goliath asked, genuinely confused. "Did Xanatos pay you?"

Macbeth's reflections all began laughing.

"Aye, I asked him for money." Macbeth replied honestly. "If I had offered to do this for free, he'd been suspicious."

"Then why?" Goliath demanded. "We've done you no wrong! Neither has Willow!"

"It's not you I'm after, nor the girl." Macbeth admitted. "You're all just pawns. I want your queen!"

"Queen?" Goliath repeated, thoroughly confused. "We have no queen."

"No?" Macbeth questioned confidently. "What about… Demona?"

Goliath's eyes widened in shock.

"You know Demona?" he gasped.

"Know her?" Macbeth laughed loudly. "I NAMED her!"

The floor underneath Goliath opened up and he was sent falling down a dark hole into the darkest recesses of the castle. As Goliath lay on the ground panting, Macbeth approached with a single lit torch.

"If I capture you, the last of your kind, she will come to free you." The man rationalized. "It's her I want."

Now it was Goliath's turn to laugh. He stood up and faced Macbeth, a smile on his face.

"You are a fool!" Goliath laughed. "She is our enemy. She wouldn't lift a talon to save us."

Angry at this sudden shift of information, Macbeth tossed the torch into a vase of oil. It immediately lit the room, revealing a medieval dungeon and torture room. Goliath tackled the man, who quickly freed himself. Macbeth then grabbed a large spiked table, flipping it and tossing it at Goliath. The gargoyle jumped up, avoiding the table, and quickly grabbing onto a gibbet hanging from the ceiling. He swung towards Macbeth and tackled him once more.

This time, when Macbeth worked his way free, he attempted to battle Goliath in hands on combat. The two traded punches, dodging and weaving through the dungeon. One punch send Macbeth right into the oil container he had set ablaze, knocking it down and setting the floor on fire.

Using the flames to his advantage, Macbeth made a break for it. Goliath followed after him, but only found an iron maiden in front of him. Expecting a ruse, Goliath quickly pried it open, revealing an escape route on the other side. He ran through and found a stone staircase leading upwards, Macbeth's shadow already halfway up the staircase. Goliath quickly gave chase.

...

Meanwhile, the turtles followed Bronx down the stairs towards where the others were being held. When the prisoners heard Bronx's bark, they all perked up.

"Bronx!" Lexington cheered. "You came back!"  
"

And with help!" Brooklyn added.

"Guys!" Donnie cried out.

"Hang on Don," Mikey reassured, running over to the cage. "We're gonna get you guys out of there."

"Mikey, wait!" Donnie tried to warn.

Before he could finish, Mikey grabbed the bars, shocking himself silly before Raph pulled him back.

"The bars are electrified." Lexington explained.

"Yeah..." Mikey wheezed. "I kinda figured that one out."

"You need to find the power source and shut it off." Lexington told them.

The three looked around the room and saw a massive generator off to the side.

"Found it." Leo let out.

He drew his sword, stabbing it through the mechanism without hesitation. It sparked and fizzled beneath him as the lights in the basement dimmed before going out altogether.

"Perfect." Raph let out. "Now how are we supposed to see the cage in order to-?"

There was the sound of Bronx barking, followed by wrenching metal, several loud pops, and them claws against concrete as Brooklyn and Lexington emerged from the cage, Donnie right behind them.

"...Never mind." Raph declared.

"Good boy Bronx." Brooklyn complimented, patting him on the head.

"Hey, where's Willow?" Leo asked, noting how she wasn't there.

"What do you mean?" Lexington questioned.

"Willow was taken with you guys." Mikey explained.

"She what?!" Brooklyn shouted.

"So, why wouldn't Mr. Highlander lock her up with the rest of you?" Raph asked.

They thought about this for a moment, then Mikey got an idea.

"Because dudes, he's playing a part!" he realized. "He's embracing that Macbeth character, including how he acts."

"Mikey may be onto something." Donnie agreed, turning to Brooklyn and Lexington. "Macbeth takes place roughly during your former time. What would someone of highborn status do with a captive damsel in distress?"

"Lock her in a spare bedroom." The two gargoyles answered in unison.

"Then we search the mansion, checking every room." Leo declared.

"I'll find the highest room in the tallest tower." Mikey volunteered, earning a smack from Raph.

"Moron." He let out as they all ran up the stairs.

...

Up in Willow's room, she had tried over and over again to break down her door. Unfortunately, it still refused to budge. She leaned against it, trying to catch her breath. That's when the smell of smoke filled her nose.

"Oh no..." she let out, getting back to her feet. "Don't tell me..."

She ran over to the balcony, throwing the doors open so she could look out. From the lower floors, she could see smoke beginning to billow out of various windows.

"Not good!" she shrieked. "Definitely not good!"

She ran towards the bed, yanking the blankets off and shredding the sheets, deciding to take her chances with the cliff.

...

The secret passage led up to Macbeth's weapons room, where he immediately went for a well-preserved sword hanging on the wall. He turned just as Goliath reached the top of the stairs, and the two charged at one another. Macbeth swung at Goliath, but the gargoyle ducked, then leapt into the air, landing on one of the chandeliers. The fixture swung towards the wall, where Goliath grabbed a mace, which he then used to sever the chain holding the chandelier. Macbeth moved to dodge the falling fixture as Goliath leapt off it towards Macbeth.

The two warriors clashed, sword versus mace, smoke from the fire downstairs spreading upwards, filling the room. Fire began to lick at the tapestries hanging on the walls. Still the two clashed, the ringing of their weapons echoing over the roar of the fires. Soon, Goliath managed to snap Macbeth's sword in two, the blow also knocking Macbeth to his knees.

"Blast you!" Macbeth shouted.

He pulled out a gun and went to open fire on Goliath. However, Goliath knocked the gun out of his hand with his tail, then hoisted the man into the air by his wrists. Crushing the gun in his hands, Goliath then grabbed Macbeth by his coat.

Thinking quickly, Macbeth ditched the coat, dropping to the ground and bolting for the exit. Goliath would have followed, but the flames by now had spread throughout the building.

...

Meanwhile, the turtles and gargoyles continued searching throughout the castle when the scent of smoke fell upon the group.

"You guys smell that?" Lexington asked.

"Oh yeah." Raph confirmed.

"Guys look!" Mikey pointed out. "Fire!"

The others looked out the window and saw another part of the castle burning.

"It's not gonna be long before the fire spreads to the entire castle." Donnie reasoned. "We need to find Willow and Goliath and get out of here."

Brooklyn scrambled down a hallway, smashing through every door he came across, trying desperately to find her.

"Willow!" he shouted.

He darted past a window, skidding to a stop and backpedaling as he saw a makeshift rope made out of bed sheets dangling in front of it. Descending the ropes, clinging to them for dear life, was Willow. He wasted no time crashing through the window and gliding towards her. He pulled her right off of the rope, much to her relief.

"Brooklyn!" she cried out as she threw her arms around his neck.

"Don't worry, I got you." He told her.

"I know you do." she told him, clinging to him carefully.

Seeing that Willow was in good hands, the others went in search of Goliath. They soon found him, desperately searching for a way out of the burning room he was in.

"Goliath!" Donnie called out, waving frantically. "This way!"

Goliath heard Donnie's cries and made his way towards him. Once they were all reunited they bolted for the door, escaping just as the entire mansion was consumed by the blaze.

"Do you think Macbeth made it out?" Mikey asked as they all looked back.

Goliath looked up and caught a glimpse of Macbeth's hovercraft taking off from the castle as it crumbled to pieces.

"I'd say so." Goliath answered. "Come, let's go."

The gargoyles all took to the sky, Willow still safely in Brooklyn's grasp. The turtles watched them go as Mikey let out a whine.

"How come she gets to ride with them?" he moaned. "We did all the hard work."

"Shut up and run." Raph told him after smacking him again.

...

The returning party met up with Elisa, Broadway, and Hudson on the roof of the building adjacent to the castle. Hudson let out a sigh of relief as he saw all of them returning safely.

"I see that Macbeth was bested." he noted.

"Not bested." Goliath amended. "He fled as his home burned, and we fled as well."

"Any luck in the home hunt?" Leo asked.

"Home hunt?" Brooklyn repeated in confusion.

"The castle is no longer same for us, as much as it pains me to admit." Goliath told them.

"After what happened tonight, it be suicide to stay." Broadway added.

"Fortunately, I found a new place for you to stay." Elisa told them. "It's not as cushy as the castle, but I doubt anyone would think to look for you there."

"You have my thanks Elisa." Goliath told her. "I only wish I had listened to you sooner."

"Hang on..." Willow let out, looking at the gargoyles sadly. "You're leaving the castle?"

"Unfortunately, yes lass." Hudson confirmed.

Willow glanced at the gargoyles in utter sorrow, tears threatening to fall.

"You can't." she insisted. "I thought you were going to face my father when he came back."

"We don't even know if they can last until then." Leo told her. "Macbeth may have had the decency to wait until night to face them but what if the next guy Xanatos hires isn't as merciful? Not even you can protect them all the time."

"And to be honest neither can we." Donnie added.

Willow knew they were right, no matter how much she didn't want to admit it. She held herself as tears fell freely.

"Worst. Birthday. Ever." she declared solemnly.

Brooklyn went to comfort her, but Leo held him back, shaking his head silently. Goliath approached her, glancing over at Elisa.

"Wait here a moment." he requested. "I will take Willow back to the castle."

Elisa nodded as Goliath picked Willow up and flew back to the castle. Raph saw Brooklyn's face and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry, man." Raph told him.

"This isn't fair!" He snapped. "It's bad enough we have to lose our home, but now we have to lose our friend too?!"

"I'm sure Willow will come visit you." Mikey tried. "Well, unless Xanatos tries to use her to find you guys, so-"

Raph raised a hand threateningly, and Mikey wisely shut up.

...

Goliath flew back to the castle and landed on the balcony before setting Willow on the ground. The two were a bit surprised to see Owen walking out to greet them.

"Owen." Willow greeted, wiping her eyes before straightening up. "I'm surprised you're still up. Shouldn't you be getting ready for my dad's release?"

"I had a few matters to take care of first." Owen replied, sidestepping and revealing a suitcase behind him.

Willow looked at the suitcase in confusion.

"Are you quitting or something?" she asked. "Or is dad leaving town so soon after his release?"

"The suitcase is for you, Miss Willow." he explained.

Both Goliath and Willow were taken aback by this declaration.

"Mine?" Willow questioned.

"I assumed you'd be wanting to vacate with the gargoyles when you turned eighteen." He explained. "Was I mistaken?"

"Willow…" Goliath realized. "How old are you, today?"

"Eighteen..." she answered, "Legally… I'm now an adult."

"Meaning that you no longer require the supervision of a court-assigned guardian." Owen added. "Neither are you required to remain here at the castle if that is not what you wish."

Willow placed a hand over her mouth, happy tears falling in place of her sorrowful ones. She turned to Goliath, unable to voice her desperate question. Luckily, it was one she didn't need to ask.

"I believe a few gargoyles will take great comfort in this news." Goliath declared.

"Jalapeña!" Willow cheered, jumping into the air.

Owen allowed a rare smile to grace his face as he gently pushed the suitcase towards her.

"You'll find all of your clothing inside, as well as a few personal items I am certain you will require." he explained.

"There is still one thing we are taking." Goliath added.

"The Grimorum." Owen deduced. "It's in there as well. You can check for yourselves if you want."

Willow opened the suitcase, and just as Owen said, the Grimorum sat at the very top of the pile. She picked it up and flipped through it, blinking in surprise.

"It's the real Grimorum." she reported, putting it back in the suitcase before closing it.

"Then we will go." Goliath decided, grabbing the suitcase before turning to Owen. "But I have a message for your master. We will return one day to reclaim what is ours."

"I'll be sure to give him the message." Owen replied.

As the two got ready to depart, Goliath took one last look at the castle that had been his home for as long as he can remember. He let out a wistful sigh, then gathered Willow in his free arm before taking off into the night.

...

The Clan and the turtles was still waiting on the rooftop as Goliath returned. They were all pleasantly surprised to see Willow in his grip, and even more so to see the suitcase in his other hand.

"Willow?" Brooklyn let out. "What are you doing here? I thought-"

"So did I." she replied, getting out of Goliath's grip. "Until Owen reminded me that I'm eighteen as of today."

"So you're moving in with us?" Brooklyn realized.

"Well, Goliath doesn't seem to mind." she answered, grinning at him. "How about the rest of you?"

"Not at all!" Broadway let out.

"You're welcome in my book, lass." Hudson reassured.

"Of course you can stay!" Lexington told her.

"I, uh… think the others spoke for me." Brooklyn replied.

Elisa chuckled.

"Well then, I suggest we get moving." she told them. "It'll be dawn soon."

...

Later that night, the gargoyles, the turtles, Elisa, and Willow all gathered above the police precinct in a large clock tower set up there. The interior of the clock was completely empty, with enough room to house the six gargoyles, and their one human member. They all examined the space intently, Lexington focusing on the large clock that hadn't been working in years.

"With a little work, I might be able to get that going…" he muttered.

"I could lend a hand with that if you want." Donnie offered.

"Yeah, who wouldn't love to live with a giant clock ticking every second of the day?" Mikey remarked.

"This place isn't so bad." Hudson remarked. "There's a spot right over there for a television."

"That little alcove over there would make a perfect bedroom for me." Willow declared. "There's even a working toilet up here."

Elisa shrugged.

"I know it's a fixer upper, but throw a couple of rugs down, grow a few plants… and it could begin to feel like home." She suggested.

"I'm certain we can help you guys find what you need to make this place more comfortable." Leo assured them.

"Make take a few days, and it won't be as fancy as the castle, but it will be worthy of the title of 'home'." Raph announced.

"Yes," Goliath agreed. "As long as we're together, we're home."

...

The next day, Xanatos finally returned to the Eyrie Building, where Owen was waiting for him.

"Welcome home sir." Owen greeted. "I regret to inform you that the gargoyles have fled the castle. They took Miss Willow with them, along with the Grimorum.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised." Xanatos dismissed. "I knew the second she became of legal age she'd fly off with them. As for the Grimorum, it's in good hands with Goliath and his clan. Still, it's such a shame things had to go the way they did."

"That doesn't mean it's the way things have to stay." a new voice told him.

Xanatos and Owen turned to see a figure hiding in the shadows. The figure emerged, revealing himself to be a man in metal armor with blades on his arms, legs, and shoulders, and a metal helmet with a tri-piece ornament on top that covered everything but his eyes.

"And who might you be?" Xanatos questioned, eying the newcomer suspiciously.

"Someone who has noticed you having a problem with certain, 'inhuman' nuisances." the man replied. "I too have had similar setbacks from certain freakish thorns in my side, and I believe we can help each other out in ridding ourselves of them."

"The last person that offered me pest control ended up kidnapping my daughter and nearly destroying my home." Xanatos countered. "How do I know you will not turn out the same way?"

"Well unlike him, I understand the importance of family." He reassured. "Believe me, I know what it means to protect those you care for. Besides, you don't seem to have any other way of dealing with these creatures, am I right?"

Xanatos nodded, pleasantly surprised by his guests argument.

"That is correct." he answered. "I am fresh out of prison, so it will take some time to muster my forces, so to speak. In the meantime, your offer is quite intriguing. What should I call you?"

"You may call me… the Shredder."


	11. Double Trouble

It was late afternoon as Detective Maza made her way up the steps of the Manhattan precinct. She had a small TV in her hands as she struggled to get the door open. The handicap button was not working, as usual, forcing her to struggle to open the door without dropping her load on her feet. As she tried to open the door, a young man with short red hair and a trench coat quickly came to her aid, pulling the door open for her.

"Allow me." he insisted.

Elisa breathed a sigh of relief, adjusting her grip on the TV.

"Thanks." she told him, walking inside.

"So what's with the TV?" He asked. "Worried about missing the late show?"

"It's a housewarming gift for some friends of mine." Elisa answered. "I'm just storing it here temporarily until I get off."

She then carried the TV inside, not realizing she had dropped the remote for it outside. The man noticed it and picked it up before heading inside as well.

…

The clock tower above the precinct was full of boxes and scattered pieces of furniture, signs of attempts to move in. Amongst this labyrinth of clutter were five sleeping bags, each of them occupied. The turtles slept in four of them, while Willow occupied the fifth. Splinter had chosen to sleep in an old recliner that was erected off to the side, his head dipped slightly as he dreamt. His slumber was interrupted by a knocking coming from the trap door. It was in a distinct pattern, indicating who exactly was doing the knocking. Splinter went over and opened the trap door, allowing Elisa to come up with the TV.

"Mind giving me a hand with this thing?" She asked. "It's a bit awkward."

"Of course." Splinter replied, grabbing hold of the TV.

The two carried the TV into the tower. Together, they set it down on top of a small table over by the chair, carefully stepping over a sprawled out Mikey. Elisa wiped her brow, looking down at the snoozing teens.

"They sleep like logs." Elisa remarked, shaking her head at the lot of them.

"They have been moving boxes almost all night." Splinter explained. "It was difficult to get them out of the storage center unnoticed, even with Willow's request for privacy, but they managed to get them all up here before sunrise."

"Impressive." Elisa remarked. "Maybe I can get them to help clean up my apartment some time."

"Detective, I think you are confusing the term ninja with miracle worker." Splinter replied.

Elisa chuckled a bit, sighing as she looked out of the open clock tower door towards the setting sun.

"We better wake them up." she suggested. "It's almost time."

"Indeed." Splinter agreed.

He then walked over to his sons and pressed a few buttons on his shell cell. He then placed in the middle of the turtles as it began counting down. Elisa instinctively covered her ears as the phone began blaring the sound of an air horn as loud as possible. The turtles sprang up with a shock as they got to their feet.

"What the-" Leo let out.

Willow sat up as well, slapping around until she found the cellphone. She chucked it as hard as she could, but Splinter deftly caught it, turning off the horn.

"I see you are all awake." Splinter noted.

The five sleepy teens all let out groans, climbing out of their sleeping bags.

"Couldn't you have let us sleep in Sensei?" Mikey asked. "Nights were built for sleeping."

"Not for all of us." Willow remarked, looking out the window. "It's almost time."

The turtles all ran up the stairs towards the entrance outside to where the gargoyles had perched. The sun disappeared over the horizon, and the sound of cracking stone filled the air. The gargoyles all stretched and howled, their stone skin raining down as they all awoke from their petrified slumber.

"Sweetness." Mikey remarked.

The gargoyles turned back towards the tower to see the turtles, Willow, Elisa, and Splinter waiting for them.

"Good evening to you all." Goliath greeted.

"Hi guys." Broadway said.

"More unpacking to do, I see." Lexington remarked.

"Yep, the sucky part about moving." Raph let out. "Still, we got most of the stuff out of the storage unit, so only one or two more trips, then we're done."

"That's good at least." Hudson replied.

"What's left to get?" Brooklyn questioned.

"My bed, and a grocery run." Willow answered.

"Then let's get to it." Donnie declared.

As the others piled inside, Goliath looked back out towards the castle. Both Leo and Elisa saw this and went towards them.

"You ok Goliath?" Elisa asked.

"I am grateful to you for finding us this place," Goliath told her, "but there has yet to be a night that I don't miss our ancestral home."

"That kind of pain doesn't go away overnight." Elisa admitted. "And I know giving up the castle was hard on you. But it was for the best."

"She's right Goliath." Leo agreed. "As long as Xanatos has control over the place-"

"I know." Goliath interrupted, holding up a claw to silence the turtle gently. "I just long for the day when we end his influence over our lives."

"That'll come soon." Leo reassured. "Until then, there's nothing he can throw at us that we can't handle."

…

At the Eyrie Building, Xanatos sat at the dining room table in the grand hall. Across from him sat the Shredder, who had been kind enough to remove his helmet so they could talk face to face.

"I have to say Shredder, your offer does sound intriguing." Xanatos allowed. "The problem is both of our enemies have proven tricky to kill. And I'm guessing since you came to me, you already knew this."

"Indeed." Shredder agreed. "And from what I have learned, they are even stronger together."

"So what do you suggest?" Xanatos asked.

"The solution is simple," Shredder told him. "We divide and conquer."

Xanatos knitted his fingers together, resting his chin on them.

"Go on." he requested.

"Our enemies are used to our usual _modus operandi_ , but not each other's." Shredder explained.

"It's simply a small matter of creating the means to separate the two groups and hit them with everything we got." Xanatos pieced together. "A creative solution for our creative problem."

"Exactly." Shredder replied. "The turtles will know how to counter my clan's forces, and the gargoyles can easily best your robots."

"But my steel clan could easily tear the turtles from their shells while your ninjas incapacitate Goliath and his clan before they can even react." Xanatos added, smiling wickedly. "I'm surprised he haven't collaborated before."

"Let us just be fortunate the fates have aligned as they have." Shredder replied. "Now then, shall we get to work?"

"I know just where to start." Xanatos answered.

…

Elisa had been called into Captain Chavez' office not long after sunrise. Leaving her friends to handle the moving in, she answered the call, and was not too happy about the news the Chief had for her.

"Captain this has to be a joke." Elisa told her.

"I'm afraid not." Chaves replied. "I'm assigning you a partner. Now that you're back on duty, I want to make sure you stay there."

"Captain, I don't need a partner." Elisa insisted.

"You were shot with your own gun in your own home." Chaves reminded. "If that doesn't indicate a need for help, I don't know what does."

"That was an accident." Elisa tried to argue.

"This isn't open for discussion, Maza." Chavez declared as a knock sounded from the door. "Ah, speak of the devil. Come in!"

The door opened and the man Elisa ran into earlier entered.

"Elisa Maza, meet Matt Bluestone." Chaves introduced. "He worked with me to close the Dracon case."

Matt approached Elisa with a smile, pulling the remote out of his pocket and holding it out for her.

"I was hoping we'd cross paths again." he told her. "You dropped this outside."

Elisa just groaned as she took the remote.

"Thanks." She replied, sticking it in her pocket. "I suppose we should head out on patrol then."

"Lead the way." Matt told her.

…

They walked out of the precinct, making their way towards Elisa's car.

"I have to admit, I'm looking forward to working in New York." Matt admitted. "This city is brimming with mysteries and conspiracies, enough that I doubt I'll be on the force long enough to solve them all."

"Hey, don't believe everything you read in the tabloids." Elisa dismissed. "Most of that stuff is probably just urban legend."

"Right, like the myths of frog men beating up thugs." Matt replied. "My working theory is currently illegal genetic experiments, or kids in costumes after a thrill."

Elisa laughed, though it was a bit forced.

"Right, and I bet they fight ninjas too." she retorted.

"Actually, there is said to be a gang of ninjas that reside in New York." Matt countered, his eyes brimming with eagerness. "They're known as the Foot Clan, and according to my research, the clan itself is over 1500 years old, dating back to the time of the shoguns of feudal Japan."

"Matt, you are going to be fun to work with." Elisa commented somewhat dryly. "I can tell."

As the two got into Elisa's car, a group of shadowy figures watched them from the rooftops. One placed two fingers on its ear, whispering quietly.

"Master, we have found the detective." they reported. "She is not alone."

" _How many are with her?"_ Shredder asked.

"One." The ninja answered. "Her partner, most likely."

" _Subdue the partner, and bring the detective to me."_ Shredder ordered.

"As you wish master." the ninja replied.

Once the comms went dead, the group followed the car.

…

"They're called the Illuminati." Matt continued on. "From what I've learned, they've got their hands in every pie there is. Everything from economics to politics goes through them."

"Fascinating." Elisa replied dismissively.

As they drove along, they missed a set of spikes set on the road as they ran over it, puncturing all four of their tires. The car swerved badly, Elisa struggling to keep the car level. Unfortunately, she didn't last long before the car ended up bashing sideways into a lamp post.

"What the hell?" Elisa let out, her vision blurry from the force of the crash.

Matt was out cold, his side of the cat being the one that smashed into the pole. From the trail of blood dripping down the side of his forehead, he wasn't waking up anytime soon.

"Matt..." she tried futility to wake him up. "Matt… wake up..."

Elisa's consciousness was slowly giving out on her. Her vision darkened as the door of her car opened, figures cloaked in black grabbing her as the curtains finally fell.

…

Willow grabbed a jug of milk from the dairy section of Mr. Jaffe's General Store, sticking it in her already full shopping cart. She moved onto the meat department, letting out a sigh.

"One thing I'm going to miss about the castle, grocery delivery service." she commented.

She bent down to grab a large carton of chicken. When she straightened up, she found herself face to face with a lone ninja.

"Hello Miss Xanatos." He greeted.

Willow gasped, instinctively throwing a punch. The ninja easily caught it, holding her fist tightly.

"I would advise changing your tone." the ninja told her, using his other hand to hold up Elisa's badge. "Especially considering what is on the line."

Willow went pale at the sight of the badge. The ninja released her fist, happily noting that she didn't try to hit him again.

"What do you want?" Willow snarled.

"Your winged friends." he answered. "Tell the gargoyles to come to the roof of the Wolf Motel at eleven o'clock. If they fail to show… well you're a clever girl. You can figure it out."

The ninja then tossed Willow the badge. She yelped slightly, fumbling to catch it. It fell to the floor and she quickly picked it up. By the time she straightened up, the ninja was gone.

"Jalapeña..." she muttered.

Abandoning her basket, she ran outside, where Brooklyn was waiting.

"Willow, what's wrong?" He asked.

"We need to get back to the tower." she insisted. "Now!"

…

The Battle Shell drove through the storage area until they reached Willow's storage unit. Once there, they piled out and made their way towards the door.

"Hey Donnie, how are we going to get an entire bed up to the top of the clock tower?" Mikey questioned.

"Well…" Donnie started to answer. "I… hadn't… figured that… out yet."

The other turtles just gave him blank stares.

"I hope you can see where we might be a bit disappointed." Raph remarked.

"Look, we've had a lot on our plates recently." Donnie argued in his defense. "Besides… maybe we could get the gargoyles to fly it up there?"

"Maybe." Leo replied. "Let's just get it into the Battle Shell first."

Raph got the door to the storage unit open, and was immediately greeted by a metallic fist to the face. He went flying backward, slamming into the Battle Shell hard. The others quickly turned towards the unit, weapons drawn as half a dozen Steel Clan robots emerged from inside. Leading them was a robot with a red paint job, the one that had punched Raphael out.

"Seems my hunch was correct." Xanatos' voice declared from the red robot. "Figures this would be Willow's suggestion on where to get furniture for Goliath's new home. After all, I had all her old family's belongings stored here."

"The Steel Clan?" Leo let out. "I thought we scrapped these guys."

"Guess Xanatos decided to try again." Donnie deduced.

"Correct." The red robot announced. "Now, I do believe this is a rematch that is long overdue."

"Bring it on, pretty boy!" Raph challenged, pulling out his sai.

He then leapt at the red robot, intent on stabbing it, but the red robot just whipped his tail around, knocking him back again. One of the robots flew at the turtles, but they quickly scattered to avoid it. Donnie quickly landed on the ground and sprinted towards the robot, spinning his staff as he did so. The robot easily blocked the strike and punched him in the stomach, sending him colliding into a wall.

"And here I was led to believe you were the brains of this little group of yours." Xanatos mocked.

Mikey extended his chain and wrapped it around one of the robots, trying to pull him in close. The robot didn't budge. Instead, it activated the rockets in its wings, taking off into the sky.

"Not again!" Mikey let out as he was yanked off the ground.

The robot flew around the sky in circles and zigzags, dragging Mikey along for the ride. Finally, it dived down and quickly banked up, causing Mikey to collide with the ground hard. Leo ran towards one robot and tried slashing at it with his swords. The robot just dodged the attack before blasting Leo.

"You'll find that I've upgraded the Steel Clan robots since my release." Xanatos informed him.

"So we noticed." Leo replied, still shaking off the blast. "But you're not gonna take us out that easily."

"Easy has never been my style anyway." Xanatos replied.

…

Back at the clock tower, Willow explained her encounter with the ninja, even showing Goliath Elisa's badge. None of the clan was happy with how this story developed, and Willow's final words got their blood boiling.

"He told me that he wanted all of you guys on the roof of the Wolf Hotel at 11, and made it clear what would happen to Elisa if you bailed." she concluded.

Goliath growled in response.

"These ninjas have made a grievous error." He declared.

"Think we should call the turtles?" Lexington suggested. "Ninjas are right up their alley."

"There is no time!" Goliath replied. "It is almost 11, and Elisa's life is on the line! We go now!"

With that, the gargoyles took off towards the Wolf Hotel, leaving Willow to watch over the tower.

…

Not long after, the gargoyles approached the hotel roof. One by one, they touched down on the rooftop, all of them on high alert. Bronx sniffed around, letting out a low growl.

"What is it boy?" Lex asked.

Bronx looked upwards, barking urgently. All of the gargoyles looked up to see Elisa tied up on the hotels neon sign, unconscious, and will a few bandages on her face.

"It's Elisa!" Broadway called out.

"Then let's retrieve her and leave!" Goliath declared.

Brooklyn peered behind him and saw something that he knew would be a problem.

"Uh, Goliath," He spoke. "I don't think it's gonna be that easy."

Goliath and the others looked behind them to see several Foot Ninjas landing on the roof. Before any of them could make a move, the Shredder dropped down in front of them, striking a dramatic pose.

"Ok, does anyone know who or what that is?" Brooklyn asked.

"So, my enemies did not even bother to tell you about me." the Shredder snarled. "A pity."

"Your enemies?" Hudson asked.

"The turtle creatures you have befriended." Shredder told them. "They face their own threats in this city. And now you face one of them. Now you face… the Shredder."

With that, Shredder extended the claws on his gauntlets, as if issuing a challenge to the gargoyles. The gargoyles all growled in reply, their eyes glowing fiercely as they charged on the Shredder and his forces. Brooklyn barreled into a few ninjas before trying to whip another with his tail, but said ninja quickly dodged it.

"What the-?" he let out before the ninja kicked him hard on the small of his back.

Broadway knocked three Foot ninjas back before picking another up and throwing him at another group of ninjas, but the group quickly dispersed to get out of the way. As Broadway moved forward towards them, Shredder leapt up from behind and kicked him in the back, knocking him aside. As Shredder landed, he saw Hudson knocking back a Foot Ninja.

"What manner of warriors are these?" The old gargoyle questioned. "They fight like none we have encountered before."

"No, they fight like the turtles!" Lexington realized.

"Yeah, only a lot better!" Brooklyn commented as a ninja struck him on the back.

Goliath saw Brooklyn go down and tried moving towards him. Suddenly, Shredder came up and kicked him in the side, knocking him back. As Goliath got back to his feet, he saw Shredder standing over him. Goliath quickly sprang up and swatted him aside, causing Shredder skid across the roof.

"So you are the one they call Goliath." Shredder mused. "I've heard much about you."

"It seems you hold me at a disadvantage." Goliath replied, quickly moving towards him. "Because I still know nothing of you, nor your clan."

"It doesn't matter." Shredder retorted, twisting Goliath's wrist and throwing the gargoyle over his shoulder. "For none of you will leave here alive!"

…

Back with the turtles, the Steel Clan was quickly beginning to get the upper hand on the turtles. They closed in on them, forcing the four ninjas into defensive positions just to avoid getting killed.

"Come on," Raph griped. "We bashed these tin cans before. How are they beating us?"

"They're of much greater quality than before." Donnie muttered. "And they were designed to take on the likes of Goliath."

"Well too bad for them." Mikey remarked, spinning a nunchaku. "Cause they're gonna have to deal with us."

With that, Mikey charged at one of the robots and leapt into the air, swinging his weapon at it. The robot just grabbed Mikey's nunchaku and spun him around, swinging him back into the others. They all collided with the ground, all of them groaning.

"Okay… ow." Mikey winced.

As the Steel Clan blasted at them, the turtles quickly scattered. Raph bounced off the wall of one of the storage units and leapt towards a robot as he threw his sai at it. The sai embedded itself into the robots eye as Raph grabbed it and slid down the robot, slicing it. Raph then pulled the sai out and backflipped away as the robot crashed down and exploded.

"Alright!" Raph remarked. "One down."

"Clever ploy." The red robot complimented. "No wonder Shredder asked for my aid."

The turtles all froze up at the mention of that name.

"Shredder?!" Leo exclaimed. "You're working for the Shredder?!"

"Working for is a bit of a stretch." Xanatos corrected. "He made me a mutually beneficial deal. I take care of you, and he takes care of Goliath and his clan."

"Oh no." Leo let out. "We gotta get to Goliath and the others!"

"Great idea." Raph replied, pointing to the Steel Clan. "Slight problem with that."

The Steel Clan continued blasting at the turtles, forcing them to scatter once again.

"Xanatos, listen to me!" Leo tried, narrowly avoiding getting a laser to the face. "Shredder will turn on you the second he gets what he wants from you! He'll kill you without a second though, and everyone you care about!"

"Shredder has given me his word that no harm will come to me, or my family." Xanatos retorted. "And I believe that you once told Willow that you ninjas followed the code of Bushido."

"We do," Donnie told him, deflecting a few blasts with his staff. "But Shredder doesn't care about honor! All he cares about is getting what he wants, regardless of who gets hurt!"

"Sacrifices must be made in order to get what we desire." Xanatos said with a shrug. "You don't think I haven't made a few?"

"You are one crazy bastard!" Raph shouted, twirling his sai in his hands. "And you're blind if you think Shredder is gonna keep his end of your bargain!"

As the red robot aimed his blaster at Raph, Mikey's kusarigama chain wrapped around him. It turned to see Donnie running along the chain and leaping towards it and smacking it across the face with his staff. The wood snapped slightly, but also managed to put a very serious dent in the face of the robot. Several curses flew from the robot as it struggled to pull off its own head. When it did, it fell away, revealing the face of David Xanatos. He had a small cut on his nose, his hair in his face, and an angry expression on his face.

"Xanatos?!" all the turtles let out.

"That was your final mistake." Xanatos threatened, drawing his arm mounted laser cannon and firing on the turtles.

Xanatos then blasted at the turtles, who barely dodged the attack. Leo quickly spun his swords to block the blasts.

"Nice suit." Mikey remarked, jumping around and avoiding the laser blasts. "Got tired of your robots hogging all the fun?"

"There's an old saying: If you want something done right, you do it yourself." Xanatos answered.

The turtles continued avoiding the blasts. As they were jumping around, Leo's phone began to chime loudly, indicating he had a text.

"Oh, great timing." He lamented as he checked his phone.

He saw that Willow had texted him, saying "Gargoyles saving Elisa from ninjas. Not returned. Worried. SOS"

"Little… busy… your… dad… wants… us… dead..." he texted back, narrowly avoiding laser fire at his shell.

"Texting in the middle of a battle?" Xanatos quipped. "How insulting."

"Hey, we're teenagers." Leo remarked. "Kinda comes with the territory."

Another beep issued from Leo's phone, a second message from Willow.

"Kk. Will help ASAP. Once free, get to Wolf Hotel."

Leo raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't have long to think about it before being blasted by one of Xanatos' robots. He fell backward hard, letting out a long groan of pain.

"Leo!" the other turtles shouted.

The three remaining robots quickly pinned them down as Xanatos loomed over Leo. He put a foot on Leo's chest, aiming his blaster straight at the turtle's face.  
"And now, this game of ours comes to an end." he declared, the laser powering up.

Just then, a loud ringing filled the storage center. Xanatos froze, looking confused as the ringing continued.

"Hey, it's not me this time." Leo insisted.

Xanatos tapped a small earpiece settled in his ear, glowering in annoyance.

"This better be important." he snarled.

" _Is that anyway to talk to your daughter?_ " Willow's voice questioned.

"Willow." Xanatos perked up. "Not exactly a good time to call."

" _Right, I'm interrupting your attempt to murder my friends._ " Willow remarked. " _Speaking of, did you know that Elisa was in a car accident today?_ "

"That is unfortunate, and so soon after her recovery too." Xanatos replied. "Though I fail to see the presidence at the moment."

" _Well, you see, not long after her crash, a ninja intercepted me in the grocery store._ " Willow continued. " _He told me that Elisa was being held hostage, and to send the gargoyles to retrieve her. That got me thinking… how did the ninja know where to find me?_ "

"I haven't the faintest." He told her.

" _Oh really?_ " Willow asked incredulously. " _So the ninja just happened to show up at the one grocery store I shop at because Mr. Jaffe sells that local saltwater taffy I like?_ "

"It would seem." Xanatos dismissed. "I hate to be a bother, but is there a point to this?"

" _Oh yes, I just needed to keep you talking while I climbed to the roof of the Scarab Corp. building._ " she explained.

"You're bluffing." Xanatos replied.

" _Ping my cell if you really think so."_ Willow challenged.

Xanatos lowered his gun, opening a secondary panel on his arm. He began typing away as the turtles exchanged confused looks.

"What's going on?" Raph mouthed.

"I don't know." Leo mouthed back. "But I think Willow's holding herself hostage to get Xanatos away from us."

Xanatos' arm began beeping, displaying Willow's cell phone signal on screen. To his surprise and mild horror, she was indeed at Scarab Corp.

" _Man, I forgot how high this building was._ " Willow commented. " _That's a good twenty stories, give or take._ "

"Whatever you're thinking of doing, don't do it." Xanatos threatened.

" _Or what?_ " Willow asked. " _You'll ground me? Listen here 'dad', you're trying to destroy my friends, and if you think I'm just gonna stand by and let you do it, you're insane._ "

"Then what do you suggest I do?" He inquired.

" _Call off this whole thing._ " Willow begged. " _Let the turtles go, and tell these ninjas to leave Goliath alone. Do it, or I jump._ "

"I can't do that." Xanatos told her, growing more and more insistent.

" _Bad choice._ " Willow informed him before the line went dead.

Xanatos wasted no words before flying off, bringing the Steel Clan with him. The turtles just watched as he flew away.

"Ummm, what just happened?" Mikey questioned.

"Willow got us out of a very sticky situation." Leo answered. "C'mon, we need to get to the Wolf Hotel."

…

Back at the Wolf Hotel, the gargoyles were still fighting off the Foot. Goliath took it upon himself to face Shredder head on. Shredder continued slashing at him, but Goliath blocked the claws with his own.

"Why do you attack us?" Goliath demanded. "We have done nothing to you!"

"You made yourselves my enemies when you allied yourselves with the turtles." Shredder told him. "And all my enemies are doomed to destruction!"

Goliath roared at that as he picked up Shredder and threw him across the roof. Shredder quickly back flipped to his feet as he landed.

"You are skilled." He complimented. "I'd expect nothing less from your kind."

"Then you know of what we are." Goliath replied, glaring at him. "And what we can do."

"Yes, and I will send you back to the shadows where you spawned from!" Shredder threw back.

As he said this, Lexington swooped down from the sky, clinging to Shredder's helmet with fangs bared. After struggling a bit, Shredder grabbed him and threw him into the neon sign. The impact of which electrocuted him.

"Lexington!" Brooklyn cried out, seeing this.

Enraged, Brooklyn charged at Shredder. Shredder saw him coming and backhanded him aside. Goliath seized Shredder's distraction and tackled him. The two tussled on the ground, neither one allowing an opening to the other. As Shredder found his way on top and readied a claw to stab him, a shuriken collided with the side of his helmet.

"Hey! Shred-head!" Raph's voice rang out.

Shredder turned to see the turtles climbing onto the building. Goliath then grabbed Shredder and threw him aside, tumbling across the roof.

"Turtles, you're here." Goliath let out. "Now this battle can finally end!"

"Couldn't agree more." Mikey declared.

As Goliath got to his feet, the turtles charged into battle alongside the gargoyles. Donnie skidded to a stop when he found the semi-conscious Lexington off to the side.

"Lex!" he exclaimed, running to the small gargoyles aid.

He put his staff away as he examined Lex, watching as he slowly lifted his head, groaning.

"Donatello...?" the groggy gargoyle let out.

"The one and only." Donnie replied. "You ok?"

"Yeah… I guess." Lex said as he sat up. "How did you find us?"

"Willow texted us when you didn't come back." Donnie explained, helping him up. "Given the current situation, it's not hard to see why."

Broadway landed next to the pair, holding a ninja by the neck before tossing him aside.

"Why are these guys after us?" Broadway questioned. "Barely anyone knows we exist."

"You can thank dear old dad for that one." Willow's voice answered.

The three turned to see Willow coming up over the fire escape. She had a baseball bat in her hand, a backpack over her shoulder, and a grim look on her face.

"What do you think you're doing here?" Donnie asked.

"Helping." Willow answered, sliding the backpack off and pulling out a first aid kit. "You think I'm just gonna sit idly by while this jerkwad threatens my friends?"

"Pretty much, yes." Donnie admitted.

"Well she's here now." Broadway pointed out.

"Yeah, and my dad won't be far behind once he realizes I tricked him." Willow added.

…

Meanwhile, Xanatos flew towards the Scarab Corp building. His eyes scanned the ground, fearful that he would find something unsettling beneath him. Luckily, that was not the case. He followed the signal of Willow's phone, landing on the roof of the building. He found it sitting on the ground with a sticky-note attached to it.

"Made you look. -W"

"Clever girl." He replied.

…

Willow scaled up the neon sign, armed with a pocket knife. She began sawing through the ropes, looking at the still unconscious Elisa.

"Don't worry." she whispered. "I'll have you free in no time."

Down below, the battle continued to wage. Brooklyn smacked a few ninja away with his tail as Raph blocked a sword strike with his sai and kicked another ninja away.

Mikey ran across the roof bashing every ninja in sight with his nunchucks, laughing the entire way.

"Now this is more like it!" he cheered.

Hudson meanwhile was clashing blades against another ninja. Getting fed up, he grabbed the ninja and threw him into a group of ninja charging towards him.

Donnie and Lexington were tag teaming against several ninjas at once. Donnie's staff was bent after taking down Xanatos' gargoyle suit, and it was beginning to buckle under the weight of several more weapons. Lexington quickly glided past one ninja and wrapped his tail around his neck, bringing him to the ground as he landed.

"Is your staff supposed to bend like that?" Lexington asked.

"No..." Donnie replied, straining to hold back the remaining ninjas. "It's not..."

Just then Broadway swooped down and picked up one of the ninjas. After gliding up in the air and circling around, he dropped the ninja on top of the others, taking them all out.

Goliath and Leo meanwhile, decided to face down Shredder together. Shredder met then head on, lifting his claws in a threatening manner. Both Goliath and Leo charged at him, weapons and claws at the ready. Shredder readied his claws at both Goliath and Leo swung at him. He blocked their attacks before shoving them aside. Goliath tried swinging his tail at him, but Shredder leapt over it and kicked him in the face. Leo ran in with his swords at the ready, but Shredder just caught his arms and kicked him in the chest launching him back. Enraged, Goliath's eyes began to glow brightly, howling as he launched himself at Shredder. Before he could make contact, a laser blast came out of nowhere and nailed him in the chest.

"Sorry I'm late." Xanatos declared as he and the rest of the steel clan robots joined the fray. "I'm afraid I was temporarily sidetracked."

"It would seem you have been as successful as I have tonight." Shredder noted.

"Perhaps, but maybe a joint effort can end this." Xanatos suggested.

"Oh great, now both of them are here..." Raph grumbled.

"Xanatos!" Goliath howled. "You are part of this?!"

"You seem surprised." Xanatos remarked. "Thing is Goliath, with the work I do, I can hardly afford disruptions. Shredder just offered to make the progression of my business that much smoother, without interference."

"At what cost, dad?" Willow questioned, having finally managed to free Elisa and was in the process of helping her down. "These are my friend!"

"Sacrifices must be made." Xanatos insisted, reiterating his earlier statement. "Now, I do believe it's time I held up my end of the bargain."

The Steel Clan moved in on the fight. Willow saw them close in, her eyes narrowing as she lowered Elisa to the ground. She ran forward, putting herself between the robots and the rest of her friends.

"You want them, you'll have to go through me." she snarled.

Xanatos froze, looking down at his daughter. Shredder glared at her, seething in rage.

"What are you waiting for, Xanatos?" he questioned. "Together we can end this! End all our problems!"

"Move, Willow." Xanatos ordered, keeping his voice even.

"Not a chance." She retorted. "You said that sacrifices had to be made. Well, let's see how much you're ready to give up for your goals."

Everyone watched Xanatos, wondering what he was going to choose. For a tense minute, nothing happened. Then Shredder let out a howl.

"Enough!" he declared.

He moved towards Willow, backhanding her across the face with his bladed gauntlet. She yelped, falling to her side and clutching her cheek.

"Willow!" Brooklyn shouted, running to her side.

Xanatos' eyes went wide as he watched Brooklyn cradle Willow, her hand planted firmly on her injured cheek as blood ran through her fingers.

"I'm okay." She told him. "It's just a scratch. It's just a scratch."

She said this a few more times as Shredder straightened up.

"There." he let out. "Now we can continue with our-"

He never got a chance to finish the statement. All of a sudden, Xanatos' metallic fist connected with the side of his helmet. The helmet went flying off of Shredder's head, clattering to the ground as Shredder stumbled back. Silence fell over the roof as everyone just stared in utter confusion.

"No." Leo let out.

"Freakin'..." Raph muttered.

"Way." Donnie concluded.

Shredder got back to his feet, staring down at Xanatos in utter rage.

"What is the meaning of this?!" he snapped.

"I am not usually a man that is prone to Violent outbursts," Xanatos informed him, bringing up his arm and typing away at the small keyboard on it. "However, I find myself willing to make an exception with you."

The robots all began turning on Shredder and the Foot clan. The Gargoyles wisely back to way bringing the turtles and Willow with them. Shredder snarled at this recent development, getting into a defensive stance as he stared down Xanatos.

"We had a deal, Xanatos!" he snarled.

"We did." Xanatos agreed. "And that deal included the fact that Willow would not be harmed. You broke our deal first, and I am simply doing what any father would do to the man who hurt his child."

With that, Xanatos and the Steel Clan began firing at Shredder and the Foot. Shredder dodged the blasts and deflected a few blasts with his gauntlets as the Foot began avoiding the blasts themselves. As the two villains went at it, Brooklyn gathered up Willow in his arms.

"We should get out of here while we can." he suggested.

"Agreed." Goliath announced, picking up Elisa. "Turtles, take Brooklyn and Willow. Hopefully Donatello can tend to her face. I shall take Elisa to the hospital."

"Then let's haul shell!" Leo declared.

Everyone quickly fled the Wolf Hotel, leaving the two villains alone to duke it out.

…

Matt slowly opened his eyes, the rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor steadily pulling him from unconsciousness. As he looked around, he saw Elisa sitting in a chair next to him. She was groggy, and seemingly disoriented, but other than a few bandages on her face and head, she was fine.

"Elisa…?" Matt let out. "W-what happened?"

"Had a blowout on one of the tires." Elisa replied. "Thought I saw a few punks with nails as I came to, made the mistake of giving chase. How are you holding up?"

"Pretty well, if you ignore the splitting headache." Matt admitted. "Thanks for looking out for me, partner."

"Don't thank me, Matt." Elisa told him. "I left you behind in that car and I shouldn't have. I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's our first night as partners." he replied. "I wasn't expecting us to click immediately. Something like that takes time. We'll get there eventually."

Elisa smiled, leaning back in her chair as she glanced up at the roof. There, she could see the silhouette of Goliath as he left the hospital.

"Yeah, eventually." she agreed.

…

Back at the clock tower, Donnie was stitching up Willow's cheek, the girl biting down on the handle of Raph's sai as she gripped Brooklyn's hand tightly.

"That. Should do it." Donnie informed, finishing up his work.

Lexington handed him a large piece of gauze and some medical tape, which he used to cover up the wound. Willow spat out Raph's sai, tenderly touching her face.

"Man… when the paparazzi get a load of this, the tabloids are gonna explode." she commented.

"Yeah, trillionaire heiress caught in ninja battle." Raph remarked. "I can see it now."

Everyone shares a laugh at that, save for Goliath as he looked out at the city. Leo saw this and walked towards him.

"You ok Goliath?" He asked.

Goliath shook his head.

"This… Shredder..." The large gargoyle let out. "I have never felt so much evil radiate from one man. Not even the Archmage had that much hatred in his heard. I fear what may have happened to my clan had things turned out differently."

"Shredder is a force to be reckoned with, I won't deny that." Leo admitted. "He's plagued our family for months now. He's made it his mission to wipe us out."

"Yeah, and he's willing to cross every line there is to make it happen." Raph added.

"Yeesh, he sounds like a human Demona." Broadway replied. "How are we gonna stop someone like that?"

"The only way we can, lad." Hudson spoke up. "Together."

Goliath and the others smiled at that response.

"Besides, there is a bright side to tonight." Willow spoke up. "The chances of those two allying themselves with one another is completely gone."

"That's for sure." Donnie replied. "I'd doubt very much they'd even want to speak to each other again."

…

Xanatos returned to the castle not long after dawn. His Steel clan robots were gone, and his armor was in horrible disrepair. The rocket gave out just as he landed, causing him to have a rather ungraceful face plant into the courtyard's floor.

"Mr. Xanatos!" Owen exclaimed, running to his side. "Mr. Xanatos, are you alright?"

"Been better." Xanatos replied, pulling off his armor piece by piece. "It would seem allying with the Shredder was a poor decision on my part. He is as ruthless as he is unstable, and far from the honorable man he made himself out to be."

"May I ask what happened?" Owen questioned.

"He struck Willow." Xanatos answered curtly.

"Is she alright?" Owen asked.

"Thankfully yes." Xanatos confirmed. "However, we will need to make some upgrades to the Steel Clan should we cross him again."

"I'll have the tech team draw up some schematics." Owen declared.

"I'll also need to have a word with the security team." Xanatos continued. "Shredder was able to get past our security once. I do not want that to happen again."

Owen nodded, then walked away to begin his tasks. This left Xanatos standing out on the castle courtyard, looking out at the city. His eyes narrowed, knowing that he had made a very dangerous enemy this night.

…

Meanwhile, Shredder returned to his lair, clutching his dented Kuro Kabuto in his hand. His armor was singed and dented, his forces limping behind him weakly. His second in command, Nakumo, ran towards him and helped stabilize him.

"Master, are you alright?" He asked.

"I will survive." Shredder replied. "But Xanatos has made an enemy of mine. However, this venture wasn't a total loss."

Shredder then pulled out a small chip he'd plucked from the chest of one of the steel clan robots.

"With this chip, we will be able to construct our own robot army with might equal to Xanatos'." Shredder boasted. "It will provide more than enough to destroy the turtles and Chung Li!"

"I will get this to Stockman immediately." Nakumo replied, taking the chip.

"Excellent." Shredder replied.

As Nakumo went off to deliver the chip, Shredder looked out the window, his eyes drifting to the Eyrie Building's silhouette in the distance. He let a small grin grace his face.

"Soon..." he swore.


	12. Old Flames

In Shredder's throne room, he sat impatiently, his fingers drumming on the armrest. Memories of the fight on the Wolf Hotel flitted through his mind. He could still feel Xanatos' fist connecting with the side of his helmet, the sound of ringing metal still going off in his ears. Finally, he came to a decision. This act would not go unpunished. He then pressed a button on his armrest.

"Tell my daughter I wish to see her." He ordered.

" _Yes Master Shredder._ " Nakumo's voice replied from the other end.

After a few minutes, the doors to his throne room opened, allowing a lone girl inside. She was about sixteen with short black hair, bright red make-up, and graceful _kunoichi_ armor covering her body. She walked up to the throne, bowing respectfully.

"You summoned me, father?" she asked.

"I have a new target for you." Shredder told her. "David Xanatos."

The girl let out a whistle.

"The trillionaire living in the castle?" she asked. "What did he do?"

"He turned on me during our partnership against the turtles and their gargoyle allies." Shredder explained. "He will learn that no one crossed the Shredder and lives."

"Well then..." she said, rising to her feet and sliding a mask over her face. "This should be fun."

…

Nighttime rolled around as Xanatos emerged from his parole officer's building. He adjusted his coat as Owen held the door open for him.

"How was your meeting?" Owen asked.

"Same as usual." Xanatos answered. "Same questions, same answers, same desire for the day my parole is up."

"Not much longer now." Owen reminded him. "Just a few more weeks and you're completely free."

"Indeed." Xanatos mused. "Come Owen, I'm ready to retire for the evening."

With that, the two drove off towards the Eyrie Building, seemingly unaware of the lone figure watching them from a lamp post. The figure vaulted across the lamp posts, following them down towards a stoplight. Once the limo came to a stop, the figure jumped into the air, smashing through the window of the limo's skylight, landing right in front of Xanatos, revealing themselves to be Karai.

"Good evening, Mr. Xanatos." she greeted. "Shredder sends his regards."

She then lunged at him, preparing to stab him with her tessen. Xanatos grabbed her blade arm, just barely holding her back.

"I'd take great care in your next choice of action." Xanatos warned.

The light turned green and Owen floored it, throwing Karai off balance. This gave Xanatos a chance to throw her off of him, the kunoichi bouncing off the door hard. She recovered quickly though, gripping her tanto before lunging again. Xanatos quickly dodged as he moved to the floor, causing Karai to land on the seats. Owen took a sharp turn around the next corner, throwing both Xanatos and Karai to the side, the tanto flying from her hands.

"Damnit." Karai cursed. "Quit intervering, manservant, or I will end your life once I end your master's!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that ma'am." Owen replied. "I enjoy working here too much."

He wrenched the wheel again, taking another drastic turn.

…

Up in the skies high above the city, Goliath and the trio were out enjoying the night air, Willow curled up in Brooklyn's arms. As they flew along, Lexington noted something down on the street.

"Hey, what's that?" he questioned.

Everyone looked down to see the limo tearing down the street. Willow took a look and her eyes went wide.

"Jalapena, that's dad's limo!" she exclaimed.

"You think something's wrong?" Lex asked.

"Even if it is, why should we care?" Brooklyn countered.

"Because Xanatos is still Willow's father." Goliath argued.

"Besides, I think someone else cares." Broadway added, pointing downward again.

Just then, the Battle Shell sped down the street, seemingly in pursuit of the limo. Brooklyn sighed.

"If they're chasing it, we probably should too." he relented.

"Agreed." Goliath declared as he and the rest of the clan banked towards the road.

…

Inside the Battle Shell, the turtles were in hot pursuit of the limo.

"Remind me why we're sticking our necks out for Xanatos." Raph questioned. "You know, the guy who's tried to kill us on more than one occasion."

"Because, we don't just help the people we like, Raph." Leo replied. "And besides, he's-"

"Willow's dad, I know." Raph grumbled. "Doesn't mean I have to like it."

"We're closing in on the limo." Donnie reported from the driver's seat.

"Get us alongside it Donnie." Leo instructed.

Donnie did as he was told as Leo put on some climbing claws before opening up the side door. As the Battle Shell pulled alongside the limo, Leo leapt onto it, using the claws to cling to the side of the car. The glass was heavily tinted, so he couldn't see inside, but he could hear the sounds of a fight from the broken skylight. He started climbing towards the roof and made his way towards the skylight. Once he grabbed hold of the edge of the skylight, he pulled himself forward and flipped inside.

"Okay Xanatos!" he declared. "Just what's going on in-... KARAI?!"

Karai paused mid bout, turning to Leo with surprise.

"Leonardo." she greeted. "Sorry, but I'm a little busy right now."

"So I noticed." Leo replied, pulling out a sword.

He then leapt at Karai and swung his blade at her. She quickly dodged it before taking a swing at him herself.

"Getting in my way, as usual." Karai remarked. "Seems you enjoy getting your shell waxed by me."

"You say that like you ever won." Leo quipped.

"I have a row of your masks in my room that says I have." Karai retorted. "And I'm about to add another to my collection!"

"You can try." Leo replied, blocking a sword strike.

As the two grappled, Xanatos took the chance to grab for the limo door, unlocking it and opening it. He then buckled his seatbelt as Owen did a sharp u-turn. Both Karai and Leo were thrown out the open door, rolling into the street as the limo took off.

"My target!" Karai screamed.

"Why is Shredder going after Xanatos?" Leo asked.

"Oh, I don't know." Karai replied. "Maybe because he broke his word, attacked my father, then proceeded to lay waste to his forces."

"After Shredder hurt his daughter." Leo retorted. "Guess he forgot to mention that."

"The girl's still alive, isn't she?" Karai snorted. "The way I see it, Dad and Xanatos would have been able to finish you all off had he not gotten cold feet over a few scratches.

"You are unbelievable, you know that?" Leo questioned.

"So you keep telling me." Karai replied.

Just then, the Battle Shell pulled up alongside them, and the others got out and drew their weapons.

"Just try something Karai." Raph threatened, spinning his sai. "Make my day."

That's when the gargoyles landed as well, all of them growling at Karai with their eyes glowing. The kunoichi looked at them all, then sighed.

"Eight against one." she mused. "Bad odds. Guess I'll have to try my luck next time."

Karai then leapt towards Leo and landed on his before bouncing off him. As she did, she grabbed the ends of his bandana and yanked, pulling it free from his face before landing on a lamp post.

"That makes 17, Leonardo!" she called out to him.

As he turned towards her, she threw a smoke bomb at the ground, disappearing into the acrid smoke. Everyone stared at the remnants of her cloud before turning to Leo.

"Umm… who was that?" Brooklyn questioned.

"Karai." Leo told them. "Shredder's daughter."

The gargoyles were all floored.

"That guys has a kid?!" Lexington exclaimed.

"Yep." Donnie reported. "We've dealt with her in the past."

"Leo has a crush on her." Mikey tacked on.

"It's not like that!" Leo protested. "She and I just have a… rivalry going on."

"I have seen many rivalries in my time." Goliath informed him, crossing his arms. "That was much more than a mere rivalry."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Leo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He means your crush is obvious, Fearless Leader." Raph announced. "I mean seriously. You flirt with her everytime you fight!"

"And she's the one bad guy that gets away from you." Donnie added. "Every. Single. Time."

"That's… not… entirely true." Leo tried to defend.

"Riiiiight." Mikey replied coyly.

"Look it doesn't matter anyway." Leo said. "What's important is she's after Xanatos."

"Leonardo is right." Goliath agreed. "If Karai failed once, she will try again. I suggest we keep a close vigil on Xanatos to watch out for her."

"Though I suggest we do it in pairs so Leo doesn't go all heart-eyes for her and let her do her job." Raph tacked on.

Leo just elbowed Raph in the gut before heading out.

…

Meanwhile, Xanatos' limo pulled up to the Eyrie building. Owen immediately got out, opening the back door so he could check on his boss. Thankfully, aside from a ruffled suit and a few loose hairs from his ponytail, he was unharmed.

"Sir, are you alright?" Owen questioned.

"Shaken, but I'm alright." Xanatos answered, exiting the limo. "We did suspect that Shredder would try something, though even I didn't anticipate him acting so quickly."

"Indeed." Owen agreed. "It would be same to assume this Karai will try again. I suggest remaining at the castle until we can-"

"This is not the first attempt on my life, Owen." Xanatos reminded him. "Besides, I refuse to hide like a cowards because of some little girl's threats. Besides, I have a feeling that I already have all the protection I'll need."

"Then what do you suggest we do next, sir?" Owen asked.

"After being cooped up in prison for so long," Xanatos mused. "I'm in need of some civilized social interaction."

…

Meanwhile at Shredder's lair, Karai came walking into his throne room, Leo's bandana on her belt. She bowed before her father respectfully.

"Have you completed your mission?" Shredder asked.

"No, Father." Karai answered. "Xanatos was more skilled than you gave him credit for. That, and there was… interference."

"So I noticed." Shredder replied, noting the bandana in her belt.

"They protected Xanatos." she continued, tucking the bandana behind her. "But next time, I doubt he will have his precious bodyguards with him."

"I should hope so." Shredder replied. "I do not want you to be dissuaded from your mission by some petty rivalry!"

Karai flinched, but regained her composure.

"I would never deter from my mission, father." she swore, bowing deeper. "The Foot Clan comes first, no matter what."

"See that it does, Karai." Shredder told her.

Karai then turned and prepared to leave.

"And Karai," Shredder spoke again, causing her to stop in her tracks. "The next time you see Leonardo, you are to end him. No more games. Understand?"

Karai hesitated, but eventually nodded.

"Yes, Father."

…

Back in the turtles lair, Leo unrolled a piece of blue cloth from a roll, using his katana to cut himself a section of it. Poking eye holes in it, he tied it around his face, creating a new mask.

"Mask number 18." Splinter declared from behind Leo. "I take it you encountered Karai again."

Leo sighed in response.

"Yes, Sensei." Leo confirmed.

"I cannot help but wonder why these confrontations between you seem so frequent." Splinter voiced.

"I… honestly don't know." Leo admitted.

Splinter walked towards the couch in the living room, sitting down before patting the cushion next to him. Leo raised an eyebrow in confusion, but sat down anyways.

"My son, do you see Karai as something more than an enemy?" he asked.

Leo went wide eyed upon hearing the question.

"Uh, no Sensei!" Leo protested. "Of course not. What would make you think that?"

"I am half-deaf, not half-blind Leonardo." Splinter answered. "You wear your heart on your sleeve, and that makes it easy to tell what you are feeling. When it comes to Karai, you are conflicted."

"I...guess I… kinda… enjoy some of our fights." Leo admitted. "But I know she's our enemy."

"Sometimes the mind and heart say very different things." Splinter told him. "We must choose one, and forego the other. Even when it's not easy."

"Then… which one should I choose?" Leo wondered.

"That decision is yours alone." Splinter replied, rising up off the couch. "Just make sure you are ready to face the consequences of your choice."

"Hai, Sensei." Leo responded, bowing as Splinter left.

Leo then slumped down on the couch, racking his brain on what he should do next.

"Why is dealing with girls so complicated?" Leo lamented.

…

Meanwhile, at the clock tower, the gargoyles were taking their posts for the coming sunrise. Just then, Willow's cell phone began ringing. She fished it out of her pocket, figuring it was one of the turtles.

"Hey." she greeted. "Look, it's almost sunrise, so we're getting ready for bed. Can this wait til tonight."

" _I assure you this will be quick."_ Xanatos' voice reassured her.

"Dad?" she questioned, gathering the gargoyles' attention. "How did you get this number? I just bought this phone yesterday!"

" _Using the credit card I gave you while putting it under my data plan."_ Xanatos added.

Willow facepalmed, feeling like an idiot.

"Right..." she groaned. "Look, if you're trying to trace me, forget it. Donnie and Lex already made it so I can't be tracked."

" _I'm not trying to track you,"_ Xanatos reassured. " _Just to offer a little invitation."_

"An invitation?" she repeated. "To what?"

" _A small gala tomorrow night."_ Xanatos explained. " _It's my first major public appearance after getting out of prison and it would mean so much to have you there."_

"And this has nothing to do with the attempt on your life earlier tonight?" Willow guessed, putting the pieces together. "Public appearance means a harder time for any would-be assassin."

" _Perhaps, but you have about as much reason to attend as me wanting you there."_ Xanatos countered.

"I do?" she questioned. "What makes you say that?"

" _Well despite your testimonies in court, there's still a belief we're as close as before."_ Xanatos explained. " _If word got out that there were some animosity against us, people would start looking into why. I know you wouldn't want the press or police uncovering some… old stones."_

Willow's hand clenched around her phone as her teeth began grinding.

"Damn you..." she hissed.

" _Since you more than likely won't tell me where you're staying,"_ Xanatos assumed. " _Can I tell Owen to bring the limo to the Eyrie Building around say… eight?"_

"I just have someone drop me in the limo beforehand..." she guessed. "Clever."

She sighed a bit.

"Alright, I'll be there." she decided. "But I'm only doing this because if you die, the press won't leave me alone for the rest of my life."

" _I look forward to seeing you."_ Xanatos replied before hanging up.

"Everything alright?" Brooklyn asked, turning towards Willow.

"Dad's blackmailing me into attending a charity gala with him." she explained. "I'm guessing he wants assurance that there will be gargoyles watching his back for that Karai character."

Goliath growled in response.

"Using innocents as a shield." Goliath let out. "Does his treachery know no bounds?"

"Can't you just tell him to take a hike off the edge of the castle?" Brooklyn questioned.

"He threatened you." she answered simply.

"What do you mean?" Broadway asked.

"He's led the press to believe that nothing's changed between us." she clarified. "If I don't show up and play the happy daughter, the tabloids will be all over it. And trust me when I say that paparazzi are as ruthless as vikings."

"Meaning they could learn of us." Hudson deduced.

She nodded in response.

"So, I'm going to a dance at 8, and I need someone to drop me off at the Eyrie Building tomorrow night."

"I can do that." Brooklyn volunteered.

"We will follow from a safe distance." Goliath added. "Though let Xanatos know it's for you, not for him."

"Not gonna be a problem." she assured him.

Goliath nodded, then the sun rose in the sky, petrifying the gargoyles into their statue forms. Willow looked at them, then sighed, turning towards the alcove that served as her room.

"Now the biggest issue of all." she mused. "What the heck am I gonna wear?"

…

That night, Xanatos came down towards the limo waiting for him. Owen opened the backdoor for Xanatos, revealing an empty interior. Xanatos raised an eyebrow as he got in.

"She's not here." he noted.

"Perhaps she's simply running late." Owen suggested.

Xanatos looked down at his watch, seeing the second hand slowly make its way around the face. Once it completed its circuit, the time switched to eight. As it did, a shadow passed overhead and Willow dropped in through the skylight, landing in the seat with a soft plop.

"Glad you could make it." Xanatos remarked.

Willow gently smoothed out the skirt of her dark blue, sleeveless dress before checking on the slight braid in her short hair.

"Didn't want the press getting the wrong idea." she told him harshly.

"Well then, let's get going shall we?" He proposed.

With that, Owen got into the driver's seat and they made their way towards the gala. All the while, the vigilant eyes of the gargoyles followed them across the skies.

"Lexington, contact the turtles." Goliath ordered. "Let them know what has happened. We may require their aid before the night is up."

Lexington nodded, pulling a shell cell from his belt.

…

Down in the lair, Leo was sitting off by himself, meditating on the dilema Splinter has proposed to him. Mikey was laying on the couch reading some comics, thumbing through the pages as he laughed to himself. Raph was beating up on his punching bag, a crude drawing on Karai taped to the top of it. Donnie was in his lab, working on a mechanical bo-staff prototype, adjusting it as he saw fit. Just then, his shell cell started going off. He set down his project and reached for the phone to answer it.

"Hello?" He answered.

" _Donatello, it's Lex.'_ Lexington's voice declared from the other end. " _We've got a situation. Goliath wants you and your brothers to meet us topside. There's this big charity gala going on, and Xanatos roped Willow into coming with him._ "

"What?" Donnie let out. "We're on our way. Just tell me where."

" _Someplace called the Plaza Hotel._ " Lex answered. " _Willow said to just look for the spotlights and fireworks._ "

"Will do." Donnie replied. "Be there soon."

He then hung up and ran out into the living room.

"Guys, we got a situation." Donnie reported.

…

Karai watched from a nearby roof as Xanatos' limo drove up to the Plaza hotel. She cursed her luck as he emerged with Willow on his arms, and her cursing became a bit more pronounced when she saw the silhouette of gargoyles landing on a darkened rooftop nearby.

"Well-lit, heavily guarded, and with supernatural bodyguards to boot." she listed off. "He's playing it close to the chest."

She lowered her binoculars, pulling out her cellphone.

"Father, we've got a situation." she reported. "I need you to do me a favor."

" _What kind of favor?"_ Shredder asked.

"How quickly can you get me an invitation to the Park Hotel Charity Gala?" she replied.

…

As the gargoyles watched the Plaza Hotel, four grappling hooks attached themselves to the ledge in front of them. The gargoyles stepped back, allowing the turtles to pull themselves up onto the roof.

"Glad to see the grapnals are working." Lex commented.

"You're telling me." Donnie replied.

"Any sign of Karai?" Leo asked.

"None yet." Broadway reported. "Willow's got an earpiece so we can let her know if anything happens."

"Hopefully she won't need to use it." Brooklyn commented, looking through the window of the hotel.

As the two groups looked on, a lone town car pulled up to the hotel. From it emerged Karai, dressed in a black and red Japanese dress with a golden dragon on it. She tossed the keys to of the car to the valet before pulling an invitation from a black clutch.

"Oroku Karai, Daughter of Oroku Saki, representing Saki Corporation." she declared.

"Right this way." the concierge replied.

The concierge then lead Karai inside, with Leo and the others watching on.

"That might be a problem." Donnie lamented.

"How the heck did she get an invitation?" Raph wondered.

"It would seem the Shredder is almost as influential as Xanatos." Goliath mused. "If not more so."

"Might wanna warn Willow she's about to get some company." Mikey voiced.

"Right." Broadway agreed. "So, who has the earpiece?"

"I thought Brooklyn had it." Lexington spoke up.

"I thought you had it, Lex." Brooklyn repeated.

They both turned to Broadway, who held up his hands.

"Don't look at me." he insisted. "Lex won't let me touch that tech stuff after the fifth TV remote I broke."

"Does anyone have the earpiece?" Leo asked, irritated.

The trio all looked at one another, then shook their heads. Goliath let out a growl, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I don't suppose anyone has another plan?" Goliath asked.

"Actually, Willow does have her cellphone, yes?" Donnie asked.

"She should." Brooklyn answered.

"Then we just call her and let her know." Donnie answered.

"Wow... this is just not our night, is it?" Mikey questioned.

"Apparently not." Leo replied, dialing Willow.

…

Inside the gala, Willow and Xanatos mingled with the crowd, the former putting on her best fake smile as she adjusted her posture.

"I'm starting to remember why I hate these things." she muttered. "Tight dresses, uncomfortable shoes, and everyone staring and judging you."

"The price of fame I suppose." Xanatos dismissed. "I find the best trick is to look like your judging them right back. Get's them to leave you alone."

"Duly noted." Willow grumbled.

Her clutch then began vibrating. She glanced down at it, then sighed.

"Excuse me." she told him. "I need to go powder my nose."

She slipped off towards an empty hallway, pulling out her cellphone and answering.

"You know, what's the point of me wearing this earpiece if you don't use it?" she questioned.

" _Someone misplaced it."_ Leo remarked. " _You're about to have company."_

"Your girlfriend I'm guessing?" Willow commented with a sly grin

" _She's not my-!"_ Leo protested before regaining his composure. " _Yes, Karai is coming. Just keep a close eye on Xanatos."_

Willow just hung up after that, going to return to the party. As she did, she spotted her father speaking with Karai, oblivious to her true identity.

"Mr. Xanatos." she greeted, offering him a small glass of champagne. "A pleasure to meet you. I've heard so much about you."

"You flatter me, miss…" Xanatos replied, taking the glass from her.

"Karai." She informed. "I'm here representing the Saki Corporation in lue of my father. He unfortunately could not attend. I'm sure you of all people understand. Business before pleasure."

"Of course." Xanatos replied. "Can I get you a drink?"

"Sorry, but I'm too young to drink." she explained. "The glass is for you."

Realizing what was going on, Willow came up behind Xanatos, bumping him hard enough to knock the drink from his hands. The contents spilled all over Karai's dress, much to her surprise.

"Oh my!" Willow let out, putting on the best concerned face she could make as she grabbed Karai's arm. "I am so sorry! Let me help you clean that up!"

Before Karai had a chance to register what was going on, Willow had dragged her away from Xanatos and towards the lady's room.

"I don't need your help." Karai declared, trying to free her arm from Willow's grip.

"You're right." Willow agreed. "I'm just trying to stop you from killing my father."

"From what I hear, you and your father aren't on the best of terms." Karai remarked.

"Just because we don't see eye to eye doesn't mean I'm going to let you kill him." Willow argued. "Besides, he turned on your dad after he did this to me."

She wiped off some heavily applied make-up on her cheek, revealing twin scars on her face. They were still a bit red, and not fully healed, hence Willow's need for make-up.

"I've seen worse." she replied, twisting Willow's wrist and slamming her into the wall.

Willow grunted, thenswept at Karai's legs, freeing her arm.

"I may not be a ninja, but I took several jujitsu courses." Willow informed her, getting into a proficient stance.

"Aw, well that's cute." Karai remarked, kicking Willow's legs out from under her.

As Willow fell to the ground, she rolled, kicking off her heels and widening the split in the side of her skirt.

"I'll show you cute." she snarled.

Karai then made a "come at me" motion with her hand, one Willow answered with a kick to the gut. Karai stumbled back a bit, clenching her gut, but quickly regained her composure.

"Not bad." She admitted. "But I've seen better."

As Willow came at her again, Karai caught her foot, twisting her ankle and sending her down into the ground. Willow used this position to entangle her legs in Karai's bringing her down.

"Are you even trying to fight me?" Willow questioned. "Or are you just going to stand there and block my attacks?"

"Since you asked so nicely." Karai remarked before delivering a kick to the head.

Willow reeled back from the blow as Karai got back to her feet. She then picked her up by the dress and kneed her in the gut. Willow coughed, all of the air leaving her lunges as she fell to the ground.

"Guess that's what happens when you party too hard." Karai remarked.

She adjusted her dress, then picked up Willow's clutch, pulling out the cellphone. She smirked, then hit redial, calling Leo.

" _Willow?"_ Leo spoke. " _Is everything ok?"_

"Willow can't come to the phone right now." Karai teased. "She's indesposed at the moment."

" _Karai."_ Leo let out. " _What have you done with Willow?"_

"Nothing, she's just resting for now." Karai answered, kicking Willow in the head to knock her out. "Though between you and me, I'd be more worried about her father."

" _What have you done?"_ Leo demanded.

"Let's just say, the champaign's not agreeing with him." she commented. "Willow tried, but all it took was one sip."

Karai could hear Leo growling on the other end and couldn't help but smile.

"Good luck getting to him on time." she challenged before hanging up, tossing the cellphone at Willow's prone form before walking out of the bathroom.

…

Back outside, Leo groaned in irritation as he turned back to the hotel.

"What happened, bro?" Mikey asked.

"Karai poisoned Xanatos." Leo told them.

"Is Willow okay?" Brooklyn questioned?

"I think so." Leo replied. "But it's gonna be impossible to get in there and find out."

As the others lamented the turn of events before them, Donnie suddenly had an idea.

"Guys, we're practitioners of Ninjutsu correct?" Donnie proposed.

"Yeah…?" Raph replied, a bit confused.

"Meaning we're masters at remaining unseen." he added.

"Yeah, but there's a problem." Lex pointed out. "There's no way you can get in there unseen, no matter how stealthy you are."

"Stealth just means not being seen." Donnie told him. "No matter how it's accomplished."

Everyone looked at Donnie confused as he made he looked over the powerlines.

"Leo, can you sever those lines for me?" he requested.

Leo smirked as he drew a sword.

"No problem." He confirmed.

…

Back inside, Karai came out of the bathroom and walked back over to Xanatos. He was tugging at his tie, sweat beginning to gather on his brow. He glanced over at Karai, looking at her suspiciously.

"Where's Willow?" he questioned.

"Still in the bathroom." Karai told him. "Think she had some bad shrimp or something."

His eyes narrowed and he stumbled slightly, grabbing his head.

"What..." he let out, shaking his head to try and clear out the ever growing cobwebs. "What's happening to me?"

"Like I told you back in the limo." Karai replied, leaning forward and whispering in Xanatos' ear. "The Shredder sends his regards."

She leaned back, smirking at Xanatos as she nonchalauntly brushed a stray lock of hair from her face. Just then, the lights in the room suddenly went out, causing the guests to panic. Then the fire alarm was pulled, sending everyone into a panic. Karai's eyes narrowed, realizing what was going on.

"Leonardo..." she let out.

Suddenly, she was shoved aside by an unseen figure, one that snagged Xanatos before disappearing up to the roof. She looked around for the figure, seeing a monstrous silhouette emerge from the girl's bathroom before going up to the roof as well. Karai saw red as she moved her skirt to the side, pulling her tanto that had been strapped to her thigh.

…

Up on the roof, the turtles and gargoyles were able to congregate in peace as everyone made their way out of the building. Xanatos was on the ground, his breath ragged as he finally pulled his tie off, tossing it aside like it was a snake.

"Willow..." he gasped. "Is she-?"

"Just out cold." Raph answered. "You were Karai's target, not her."

"So what do we do?" Broadway asked.

Donnie looked Xanatos over, growing ever more nervous.

"I don't know." he admitted. "I have no idea what poison was used, and there's no time to call an ambulance."

"Wouldn't that Karai girl have the antidote?" Broadway offered up. "Just in case she got poisoned?"

"Even if she did, it would be tricky to get it from her." Leo responded.

"Trickier then you'd imagine." Karai announced.

The group turned around to see Karai standing before them with her blade at the ready.

"We're only gonna ask once, Karai." Leo told her. "Hand over the antidote or else."

"You want it?" Karai retorted as she slid into an advanced offensive stance. "Come and get it."

With that, Leo charged forward and clashed blades with Karai.

"We've got to help him!" Raph declared.

"Stay out of this, guys!" Leo insisted. "I've got to do this by myself."

"Aww, I'm flattered." Karai grinned.

Leo just took another swing at her, causing her to duck under the blade.

"Don't be." Leo insisted. "I'm ending this tonight Karai. No more games."

"I thought you enjoyed our rivalry, Leonardo." she quipped. "Or have I just been imagining all those small grins and witty attempts at flirting."

"It only goes so far when you threaten my friends." Leo responded, blocking another strike. "And their family. Even the selfish ones."

"I'm sitting… right here..." Xanatos wheezed.

"He tried to kill you, and you're trying to save his life." Karai commented, shaking her head. "Why? He'll just try again later. Let him die now, and-"

"And I'll be turning my back on everything I was raised to believe in." Leo interjected. "Things like honor. Bushido. Things I believed that you valued as well."

"Clearly, you haven't met the real me." Karai snorted.

Leo's gaze hardened and his grip on his swords tightened.

"I guess not." he said quietly.

As they continued going at it, Xanatos' condition continued to worsen.

"We're running out of time." Goliath noted.

"Any ideas?" Brooklyn asked.

"Well…" Donnie pondered. "I could possibly whip up an antidote myself. I have enough chemistry supplies in the Battle Shell, but I'd need a sample of the poison to make it."

"Karai's dress..." Willow groaned, sitting up.

Brooklyn helped her sit up.

"What do you mean?" Goliath questioned.

"I made dad spill the rest of the poisoned champagne on her dress." she clarified.

Leo heard this and smirked a bit before turning back to Karai.  
"This may sound a bit awkward," He admitted. "But I'm gonna need that dress."

Karai's eyes went wide, and she immediately turned to get away. The second her back turned,Leo swiped his sword, slicing right through the back of her dress. She screamed as Leo grabbed the ripped fabric, leaving her in just her underwear as he tossed it to Donnie.

"Catch!" he shouted.

Donnie quickly caught the dress as he bolted towards the Battle Shell. Meanwhile, the others were averting their eyes from Karai's semi-naked form. Goliath turned away as the trio slapped their hands over each others' eyes. Willow turned red on Karai's behalf as Raph and Mikey both just started laughing.

"I see London, I see France, I see Karai's underpants." Mikey mocked.

Karai covered herself as best she could, her entire face red as she glared daggers at the orange turtle.

"Man, and I thought you couldn't sink any lower, what with you being Shredder's kid." Raph mocked, pulling out his shell-cell and snapping a photo.

"Delete that immediately!" Karai screamed.

"And what if I don't?" Raph remarked. "You seem a bit too… indisposed to do anything about it."

She let out an inhuman shriek as Donnie came scrambling back up to the roof.

"I got it!" he shouted, holding a vial of green liquid in his hand.

"Get it to Xanatos, quick!" Leo told him.

Donnie vaulted over to Xanatos as Willow lifted up his head. Donnie uncorked the vial, tipping the contents into his mouth. Xanatos drank it, and his breathing slowly returned to normal. Willow breathed a sigh of relief.

"It worked…" she gasped.

"Good job Donatello." Goliath congratulated.

"Well now that we saved this jerk's life, what do we do with the other jerk on this roof?" Raph questioned.

Everyone turned towards Karai, only to find her gone.

"She's gone." Broadway declared.

"Must have decided to flee before she lost what remained of her dignity." Lexington mused.

"And her clothes." Mikey added.

"What matters is we won today." Leo declared.

"More then that, you saved my life." Xanatos declared, slowly getting to his feet. "For that, I thank you very much."

"We saved your life out of duty, Xanatos." Goliath told him. "But never use Willow as a defense again."

"Understandable." He replied. "I will concede to that being a dirty move on my part. It won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't." Goliath growled.

With that, Brooklyn scooped up Willow and the gargoyles flew off. The turtles followed by the rooftops. Xanatos watched them go, then got up as Owen made his way to the roof.

"Sir, you disappeared from the gala." he declared. "Is everything alright?"

"It is now, though a trip to the tower's medical bay might be in order." Xanatos informed him.

"Of course, sir." Owen declared.

With Owen's help, Xanatos retreated from the rooftop.

…

Back at Shredder's lair, Karai came slinking through the doors. She had a trench coat on, clutching it tightly as her bare feet padded across the floor.

"I suppose it would be fair to assume that your mission was a failure." Shredder noted.

Karai stopped walking.

"Xanatos lives..." she growled. "I succeeded in poisoning him, and even had Leonardo distracted with a futile search for an antidote I didn't even have… then they used the remaining poison to synthesize an antidote."

Shredder growled in response.

"Believe me, I'm not happy about it either." She told him. "They got the poison my cutting off my dress, which Xanatos' brat spilled it on."

"This is… displeasing." Shredder responded. "But this fixation on Xanatos is becoming a distraction. We must return to our true objective, destroying Splinter and the turtles."

"Yes, Father." Karai agreed. "Next time I face them, only one of us will walk away."

…

Leo sat on the couch, looking at the ripped remains of Karai's dress.

"It would seem you have made your decision, my son." Splinter observed.

"You know… when we first met Karai, I was happy to know there were other ninjas out there." he began, his eyes never leaving the dress. "Even when we fought, I could tell she was different. I convinced myself that if I kept trying, maybe I could convince her to change sides."

He gripped the dress tighter.

"But I guess those were foolhardy thoughts." he let out. "She's Shredder's daughter after all… and the apple didn't fall far from the tree."

"Some lessons are harder to learn than others." Splinter admitted. "But do not let it dishearten you, my son. In our lives, we will make many friends and enemies. It does us no good to fixate on one and neglect the others."

Leo sighed in response.

"I guess you're right, Sensei." Leo replied.

"Eh don't worry Leo." Mikey said, plopping on the couch next to him. "I'm sure you'll find some other psycho ninja lady that wants to kill you."

"Yeah." Raph agreed. "There are plenty potentially deadly fish in the sea."

"Though if I may offer a piece of advice." Donnie chimed in. "Take her to dinner first before you slice her clothes to shreds."

The group shared a much needed laugh, hugging one another. Leo smiled, then balled up the dress, tossing it into the garbage.


	13. Her Brothers Keeper

High above the police precinct, the Manhattan clan and the turtles were all gathered in the clocktower. Hudson and Splinter were enjoying some tea in the kitchen while Goliath read a book in a comfortable chair off to the side. The rest of the group dominated the media center, a turtle vs gargoyle videogame marathon currently underway. The game of choice: Mortal Kombat.

"Get 'em, Brooklyn!" Willow cheered.

"Show that gargoyle who's boss, Raph!" Mikey shouted.

Both hotheads mashed away at their buttons, determined to get the edge on the other. Unfortunately for Brooklyn, Raph had more experience with the game, and thoroughly wiped the floor with him. The game ended with a fatality, Raph thrusting his controller into the air in triumph.

"Oh yeah!" Raph cheered. "In your face, stone breath!"

"Oh come on." Brooklyn let out. "There's no way you could have beaten me."

"If you'd let me play, I could've beaten him." Lexington interjected.

"Oh right, I forgot." Brooklyn let out dryly. "You know everything, don't you?"

"I know the moves that would have kicked the turtles butt." Lex retorted.

"Oh, I'd love to see you try." Raph jeered.

"Yeah, yeah, you're the toughest." Mikey said before going for the controller. "Now gimme! It's my turn!"

Mikey took the controller and began selecting his character. Broadway took the seat next to him and attempted to take the controller from Brooklyn, only for the red gargoyle to hold it out of reach.

"No way." He told his oversized brother. "I give this to you and you're liable to eat it. Or smash it. Or both."

"Hey! It's my turn!" Broadway insisted.

"Like you could do anything other then mash the buttons until they break." Lexington jeered.

"Oh that's right, I'm just a stupid gargoyle who only thinks with his stomach." Broadway growled.

"Couldn't have put it better myself." Brooklyn retorted.

All of a sudden, the TV screen went blank. Everyone, turtle and gargoyle alike, looked up to see Willow holding the plug to the TV in her hand.

"Hey!" Everyone called out.

"What the shell Willow, I was about to dominate." Mikey complained.

"You either place nice and share, or you don't play at all." Willow informed them all. "You're brothers. Act like it."

She glared at the gargoyles specifically as she said that.

"Am I understood?" she asked.

"Yeah." they all let out.

Over in the kitchen, Hudson chuckled slightly.

"I could've used the lass back when the trio were training." he commented.

"Try raising four mutant teenagers while trying to pass on the ancient traditions of Ninjutsu." Splinter replied.

The two old masters shared a laugh as they resumed their tea.

...

Down below the clocktower, Chief Chavez sat in her office. Standing in front of her were Elisa Maza and her brother Derek. The former looked less than thrilled with her boss, and had no qualms against voicing her opinion.

"Chief, you're making a mistake." she insisted.

"I won't be swayed, Detective." Chavez replied. "David Xanatos has been attacked twice already. Until the threat against him has been taken care of, I'm assigning him police protection."

"But does it have to be Derek?" Elisa questioned.

"Derek is the best pilot the NYPD can offer." Chavez explained. "He'll be able to blend in with Xanatos' staff as a new pilot, allowing him to maintain cover for the duration of this op."

"Sis, I know you're not a fan of the guy, but somebody wants him dead." Derek argued. "We can't just sit idly by while someone is actively trying to kill him."

"I just don't want you in the line of fire." Elisa told him. "He's made powerful enemies. Deadly enemies."

"I didn't join the force to play it safe." Derek replied. "I'm going to do my job."

Before Elisa could retort, Derek walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Elisa watched him go, more than a little worried about her brother.

...

Across town in a derelict warehouse, Jackal and Hyena were hiding out. Though they had been able to escape arrest, unlike Wolf and Fox, they'd been forced into hiding now that their criminal records were in play once more.

Hyena was wailing on an old punching bag, letting out her frustrations in a flurry of kicks and punches.

"I can't believe we're forced to live like this!" she screamed. "We were living it up on the top! Now we're forced to hide out like dirty rats!"

"Would you rather rot in prison with the others?" Jackal questioned. "Or maybe you'd prefer to go kowtowing back to Hun."

Hyena looked disgusted at the idea.

"Not in this lifetime." she snarled. "That wall of muscle was always in our way. We never had a chance to make it big with him. We were never more than foot soldiers to him."

"Well it's not like we're high in options now, is it?" Jackal noted.

"What we need is a big score." Hyena insisted. "Some way to get our hands on enough cash that we'd be set for life."

As she said this, Jackal's cell phone started buzzing.

"Hello?" He answered.

" _Hello Jackal._ " Fox's voice began.

"Fox?" Jackal realized. "Didn't realize they allowed phone calls in prison."

" _It pays to have friends in high places._ " Fox replied. " _Speaking of high places, how would you two like to make some easy money?_ "

Jackal smirked, putting the phone on speaker.

"What do you have in mind?" he asked.

" _Just a little extortion from someone who can more than afford it._ " Fox answered. " _One David Xanatos._ "

...

Xanatos sat in his office, going over some paperwork when there was a knock on his door. He looked up as Owen poked his head in.

"Sorry to disturb you sir, but I have a Derek Maza here to see you." he announced.

Xanatos set down the papers, knitting his fingers together.

"Send him in."

Owen nodded and opened the door for Derek. He walked in, approaching Xanatos' desk.

"Mr. Xanatos." he greeted. "Chief Chavez asked me to express her sympathies for all that has happened to you. She also extends her apologies in not assigning your police protection sooner."

"It's quite alright." Xanatos dismissed. "I understand the police have had their hands full as of late."

"Indeed." Derek agreed. "Luckily, she was able to spare me so you could have a police officer for protection. As far as the public is concerned, I'm merely a new pilot your company recently hired."

"Sounds good." Xanatos commented. "And as it just so happens, I have a meeting with Scarab Corp in an hour. I hope you're ready to start right away."

"Whatever you need, Mr. Xanatos." Derek replied.

...

Meanwhile at the clock tower, Elisa was informing everyone of what had happened.

"You're kidding." Raph let out. "The police are actually protecting that guy?"

"Yeah, doesn't he have like his own private army or something?" Mikey questioned.

"The Chief thinks that we need to have a police officer on him until this whole mess dies over." Elisa replied.

"And it just happens to be your brother?" Donnie asked.

"He's our best pilot, and Xanatos just happened to be looking to hire a new one." Elisa answered.

"Yeah right." Willow snorted. "This is just a little too coincidental for my taste."

"You're telling me." Raph remarked. "I smell a rat, and I don't mean Sensei."

Goliath rubbed his chin, contemplating the situation.

"Elisa, have you warned your brother of the danger he faces?" he asked.

Elisa let out a loud snort.

"You're kidding, right?" she asked. "Tell him that Xanatos made the enemy of an ancient japanese ninja clan that I only know about thanks to four mutant turtle teenagers? Yeah, when I'm ready to spend the rest of my life in a padded cell, I'll tell him everything, starting with you guys."

"Then we will reveal ourselves if we have to." Goliath replied.

That threw everyone for a loop.

"Goliath, are you serious?" Leo asked.

"Derek must not be allowed to fall prey to Xanatos, nor to the Shredder." Goliath replied before turning towards Elisa again. "One way or another, he must be made to see the truth."

"In the meantime, it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on Xanatos and Derek." Brooklyn insisted. "We can fly out now if we need to."

"I'll come too." Willow offered. "Maybe I can get dad to spill the beans on his plans."

"Here's hoping." Elisa remarked.

…

Xanatos emerged onto the roof of Scarab Corp, Derek waiting for him by the helicopter.

"Shall we away?" Xanatos jeered.

Before he could get much farther, a second helicopter emerged from the sky, closing in on the duo. A bright spotlight shone down from above as a rope was lowered. From the rope descended Hyena, decked out in her Pack uniform and a wicked grin.

"Hey there, handsome." she quipped as she grabbed Xanatos by the arm. "Need a lift?"

Jackal then piloted the helicopter away, carrying Hyena and Xanatos away. Derek cursed, immediately climbing into his helicopter before giving chase. Inside Hyena and Jackal's helicopter, the former shoved Xanatos into a seat, pinning him there with her boot.

"Gotta say, you are the prettiest payday I've ever seen." she cackled.

"You flatter me." Xanatos replied, irritated.

Jackal rolled his eyes at his sister's antics, then noticed the helicopter still on their tail.

"Better buckle in, sister." Jackal warned. "I've got a tail I need to lose."

Hyena buckled herself as Jackal accelerated the helicopter. They continued flying through the city as Derek continued his pursuit. Letting out a small curse, Jackal tried a few sharp turns, hoping to lose him. Unfortunately, Derek was far too experienced to be lost so easily.

"What's it gonna take to lose this guy?" Jackal questioned.

"It seems my pilot isn't your only problem." Xanatos spoke up, pointing out the window.

As the chase continued, the trio, with Willow on Brooklyn's back, swooped down towards the helicopter.

"It's Jackal and Hyena!" Lex howled, his eyes glowing with anger.

"They got my dad!" Willow cried out.

"Not for long." Brooklyn snarled.

The three began to swoop down towards the helicopter. Broadway barreled through the side opening, grabbing Hyena and shoving her out of the copter. She activated a parachute immediately after, landing safely on a nearby rooftop. Lexington then approached the cockpit, tapping Jackal on the shoulder.

"Excuse me." he told him. "I want to drive."

Brooklyn then yanked Jackal free of the seat, tossing him out of the copter as well. Like his sister, he too opened a parachute. Willow turned to Xanatos.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Of course." Xanatos reassured. "Though I somewhat hope these attacks persist if it means we get to spend more time together."

Willow let out a disgusted sound as Lex sat down in the cockpit. His brothers looked at him with a worried expression.

"Are you sure you can fly this thing?" Broadway questioned.

"I'll do my best." Lex replied.

"Famous last words." Willow let out fearfully.

Lexington took hold of the stick controls, doing his best to steer. Unfortunately, he began throwing the helicopter around the sky in wild patterns. All four of them began shouting in fear as they went up, down, left, right, and directions none of them even knew existed. Willow clung to the back of the co-pilot's seat, holding on for dear life as Broadway and Brooklyn did the same to Lexington's seat. All of a sudden, the copter began a spiraling path downward at alarming speeds.

"Lexington!" Willow shouted. "You need to pull up!"

"How?!" he shouted back.

"Feel the air currents!" Broadway suggested. "Just like you do with your wings!"

"Yeah!" Brooklyn added. "Use the force Lex!"

Suddenly, the small gargoyle was yanked from his seat, Xanatos taking the controls. He pulled hard on the joystick, finally managing to pull the copter up seconds before it hit the street. He then jerked the stick to the side, narrowly avoiding a large truck. Soon, they were flying almost a few feet above the ground with people running and ducking for cover at the AWOL copter. Finally, the copter turned down a trash strewn alley where it began bouncing across the street like a skipping stone, sending all four passengers flying up and down. Brooklyn grabbed ahold of Willow, wrapping his wings around her seconds before the copter finally crashed into a large brick wall.

All five of them were thrown from the copter and onto the street. Lexington landed first, rubbing his head in pain. Next was Broadway, who landed right on top of Lex. Xanatos landed third, then finally, Brooklyn landed on top of all three of them. His wings unwrapped from around Willow, who was clinging to Brooklyn for dear life.

"Please tell me it's over." she begged.

"It's over." Brooklyn confirmed.

Everyone slowly picked themselves up, Xanatos brushing himself off and adjusting his suit.

"Not the worst landing I've ever had to pull off." he remarked before turning to Willow. "Are you hurt?"

She shook her head, then the sound of helicopter blades reached their ears.

"It's Derek!" Willow gasped. "Guys, hide!"

They all dove for cover as Derek's helicopter landed outside the alley. He barely let the engine die down before running towards Xanatos.

"Mr. Xanatos!" he shouted. "What happened? Where's the Pack?"

"Bailed out when the helicopter started to go down." Xanatos fibbed. "I was forced to make an emergency landing. Still, I'm surprised you were able to keep up with me."

"Just doing my job." Derek told him.

Xanatos smiled, then patted Derek on the shoulder.

"Let's get back to the Eyrie Building." he insisted. "I think you and I should have a talk about your future."

Derek looked intrigued as the two walked back to the functioning helicopter. They took off, allowing Willow and the trio to emerge from their hiding spots.

"Anyone else not like the sound of that final statement?" Willow questioned.

"I just assume we're not supposed to like anything Xanatos says." Broadway replied.

"Good point." Willow allowed.

Brooklyn then looked at the wreckage of the helicopter, letting out a sigh.

"What are we supposed to do about this?" he questioned.

Lexington grinned, pulling out his cell phone from his belt.

"I think I know some guys who can make better use of this than us." he answered.

...

Some time later, the gargoyles and the turtles were able to get the wreckage of the helicopter back to the turtles' warehouse. Donnie was practically bouncing in his shell, eager to play with his new toy.

"Aw man, I've always wanted a helicopter!" he cheered. "It's going to need some work after the crash, not to mention some personal customization-"

"Whelp, we won't be seeing Don for a few weeks." Mikey interjected.

"Save for when we drag his sorry shell to bed." Raph quipped.

"Hey!" Donnie let out. "I'm not that bad."

"Yeah, you are." all three of the turtles said in unison.

Donnie just grumbled in response. Meanwhile, Elisa stood over to the side with the gargoyles, the trio explaining what had transpired.

"Talk about your future?" Elisa repeated. "I don't like how that sounds."

"That's not the only thing." Lexington insisted. "The Pack's supposed to work for Xanatos, so why did Jackal and Hyena try to kidnap him?"

"Maybe Shredder's trying to take him out again." Broadway suggested.

"Nah, Shredder isn't one for outsourcing." Leo interjected.

"This has got to be one of dad's ploys." Willow guessed. "A massive set-up."

"That does sound like your dad." Brooklyn agreed.

"Though I doubt he's gonna just spill the beans." Elisa muttered. "He's as tight-lipped as they come until the moment he reveals his plan."

"Then we just need someone more willing to talk." Leo deduced. "Someone willing to rat Xanatos out."

"Yeah, but who?" Brooklyn asked.

"What about the Pack members that are currently in jail?" Lexington offered. "Fox and Wolf."

"I doubt Wolf will be much help." Donnie replied. "But Fox just might."

"I'll go talk to her once the sun comes up." Elisa declared. "Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky."

"Here's hoping." Raph remarked.

...

The next day, Elisa walked into the Ryker's Island visiting room, where Fox sat waiting for her.

"Well this is certainly a surprise." Fox mused. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"Two of your former co-stars tried to kidnap Xanatos last night." Elisa explained.

"Ah yes." Fox interjected. "I suppose your brother came to the rescue."

Elisa paused.

"Wait, how did you know-?"

"About Derek Maza being assigned as undercover police protection for David?" Fox interrupted. "Why, David told me, of course. Just like he told me you'd be coming to me for information."

Elisa was completely confused, something that brought an amused smile to Fox's face.

"You see, I'm the only one who knows David is the boss." she continued. "The others, including Jackal and Hyena, are clueless to that particular fact."

"Then why send them after Xanatos?" Elisa questioned.

"To get to your brother, of course." Fox answered. "Derek Maza is the best pilot on the police force, and frankly, the NYPD is wasting his talents. David plans to put them to good use, once he accepts the new job offer."

"Assuming he does." Elisa retorted.

"Better pay, better hours, and a chance to step out of the shadows of his family." Fox listed off. "I fail to see the downside."

Elisa was seething with rage, his fists clenched tightly as she faced the smirking Fox.

"If this is Xanatos' plan, then why are you just telling me all this." Elisa inquired skeptically.

Fox laughed.

"Because, sweetie, you're so far behind him it's pathetic." She taunted. "He told me to tell you his plan. He doesn't need to hide his plans from you, because there's nothing you can do to stop him."

She suddenly got this dreamy look on her face, like a love sick girl reading a poem from her crush.

"He's the most brilliant man on the face of the Earth."

Elisa stood up and stalked out of the room, Fox waving at her back.

"Tell Willow I said 'Hi'!" she called as the door slammed shut behind Elisa.

...

Not knowing where else to go, Elisa returned to the police station. She wandered the halls for a moment, eventually finding her brother sitting on a bench near the locker rooms.

"Derek!" she called out.

He looked up in surprise to see her, scooting over and making room for her on the bench.

"Derek, you okay?"

"Yeah..." he replied. "Just have alot on my mind."

"What is it?" Elisa questioned.

Derek sighed.

"I was offered a permanent position on Xanatos' staff." he explained. "It's better pay, better hours… honestly, I'm considering taking it."

"You can't!" Elisa exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "Derek, Xanatos isn't the man you think he is! He's-!"

"He's what?" Derek asked. "The devil incarnate? Snidely Whiplash? Or have you come up with some new baseless accusations?"

"I… he's just bad news." Elisa let out.

"Look, the man may have received stolen goods, but he did his time and paid his debt." Derek defended. "I don't understand why you're so hung up on this guy, but it needs to stop."

He stood up, grabbing his jacket off the bench.

"And by the way, whether or not I take Xanatos' deal is my business and mine alone." He concluded. "So do us both a favor and butt out."

He walked off at that, leaving Elisa alone in the hallway.

...

Later that night, Derek walked into Xanatos' office, finding the man looking over some paperwork. He looked up, setting it aside with a smile.

"Derek." He greeted. "Have you had time to consider my proposal?"

"I have Mr. Xanatos." He answered. "I'll take the job once your need for protection is lifted."

"Excellent." Xanatos said, rising to his feet. "In the meantime, I suppose there are safety measures you wish to take in the wake of last night's attack."

"As long as those two nutcases are still out there, you're not safe in the city." Derek told him.

"I couldn't agree more." Xanatos replied. "I have a retreat upstate, no one will think to look for me there. Shall we?"

Derek opened his mouth, ready to argue his point. As such, he was caught off guard by Xanatos' willing acceptance.

"Wait… you agree?" He asked.

"While I don't like the idea of running and hiding, I can see it is a necessary evil in this instance." Xanatos conceded. "And I have every confidence in your abilities to keep me safe."

Derek sputtered slightly, then regained his composure.

"Oh, uh- Thank you." he stammered.

Xanatos chuckled, then gestured with his arm.

"I suggest we head off." He said. "The skies get crowded after sunset."

As the two made their plans, neither of them noticed a tiny robotic turtle, carefully planted outside one of the windows, listening in on their plans.

...

Later on, the turtles raced across the rooftops to the clock tower as the sun set lower and lower. As they landed on the roof, the sun finally set, and the gargoyles shed their stone casing and burst to life. Willow came skidding out of her room not long after, still in her PJs and her hair sticking out in every direction.

"What's the word on my dad and Derek?" Willow asked.

"Derek accepted the job." Leo informed.

"He's signing on as soon as Jackal and Hyena are caged up." Donnie added.

"Oh Elisa's not gonna like that." Broadway winced.

"Is there anything else?" Goliath questioned.

"They're taking off to some upstate retreat Xanatos owns." Raph continued. "Odds are they're halfway there now."

"You two get that chopper up and running yet?" Leo asked Donnie and Lex.

"As a matter of fact, yes." Lexington announced.

"We even had some spare time to finish up a personal project of ours." Donnie added, pulling a box out of his duffel bag. "Here Willow."

Willow took the box, opening it to reveal two slightly bulky bracelets. She pulled them out, looking at then in confusion.

"Wow, thanks." she let out, her voice monotone as she tried to figure out what they were.

"Well, try them on." Lex insisted.

She slid them onto her wrists and they quickly tightened.

"Now punch your fists together." Donnie instructed.

She did as she was told, and the bracelets unfolded. They formed a pair of gauntlets over her hands that looked almost identical to Iron Man's. They were a navy blue, and had gargoyle-like claws at the ends of each finger.

"Wow, thanks!" she cheered, examining the gauntlets with wide eyes

"Thought you might like them." Donnie remarked. "Lex and I reverse engineered them from the Steel Clan gauntlet we recovered a few months back. Though it might help you in case you run into trouble."

"And something tells me you'll need them tonight." Brooklyn spoke up. "C'mon, let's go get Elisa and head to Donatello's new toy."

"Hey, I helped build it too." Lex reminded him.

"Lex, you were stone for most of the project." Brooklyn argued.

"Yeah, you're just the gargoyle that crashed it to begin with." Broadway teased.

"Oh, like you could have done a better job?" Lex threw back.

"Can we just go?!" Leo interrupted.

...

After swinging by Elisa's apartment and explaining the situation, the group dropped by the hanger where the newly repaired helicopter was waiting. Donnie threw open the doors with the air of a showman.

"Behold, the Turtle Copter!" he declared.

"I named it." Mikey chimed in with a cheeky grin.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever Dr. Namenstein." Raph snorted, grabbing Mikey by the face and shoving him away. "Let's get a move on!"

They all piled inside as Donnie and Lex took their seats as pilot and co pilot. They then powered up the copter and began taking off.

"Alright, what's our heading?" Donnie asked.

"Xandune." Willow supplied. "Dad used to take me there every summer. It's secluded and surrounded by trees."

"Sounds like a pretty good place to hide." Donnie noted.

"And a pretty good place for an ambush." Elisa added. "We need to get there immediately."

"Head north." Willow instructed, pointing in the correct direction.

"Aye aye." Donnie replied, sending the copter off.

...

In the rustic retreat, Xanatos and Derek were walking through the dense forest, trying to enjoy the open air.

"I hope you enjoy the place." Xanatos told him.

"Your estate is five times the size of my apartment." Derek commented "And the grounds are a big as Central Park."

"One of the perks of being obscenely wealthy." Xanatos replied.

"I still don't get why Willow would give all this up for some petty grudge." Derek remarked. "Just what did you do to make her so mad?"

"It's a long story." Xanatos admitted. "Family disputes can get quite… convoluted."

"Tell me about it." Derek snorted. "My sister's got it in her head that you're some sort of James Bond villain"

"I've always thought of myself as Bond himself, personally." Xanatos joked.

"Well, you certainly have enough enemies to qualify." Derek quipped.

As if to prove his point, Jackal and Hyena began sneaking through the bushes, highly powerful automatic weapons in their hands. They slunk closer to the two unwitting victims, then took aim at the many lamps that lit the forest path. When the lamp closest to Derek blew out, he quickly grabbed Xanatos and dragged him to the ground.

"I thought you said this place was secure!" Derek exclaimed, drawing his weapon.

"I thought it was." Xanatos replied.

Utilizing night vision goggles, Hyena took aim at the two figures crouched in the darkness.

"This is too easy." She said with a cruel chuckle.

However, before she could pull the trigger, the sound of a helicopter drew everyone's attention. They all looked up to see the large, imposing figure of the turtles' helicopter rising above the trees, making a beeline towards Xanadune. Panicking, Hyena and Jackal began open firing on the chopper, only for the lasers to rebound off the hull.

"I knew including armor into the final design was a good call." Lex cheered.

"Time to shed some light on the situation." Donnie remarked.

He flipped on the spotlights, blinding the two would be assassins. They immediately screamed in pain and ripped their night vision goggles off their faces.

"Quickly!" Goliath ordered. "Take them out while they are distracted!"

Lexington just smiled, then hit the missile button. Said missile was immediately dropped and it went straight for the two blinded attackers. Fearing for their lives, the two began running for cover. Luckily for them, instead of the missile killing them, it released a net trap that quickly snared them both.

"Damnit!" Jackal yelled in anger, fighting against the net.

"Come on!" Hyena shouted, her metal claws ripping through the net. "Let's do our job and get outta here!"

Once again, the siblings began running, pausing only to try and shoot down the chopper. As they did, the side hatch opened and Broadway, Brooklyn, and Willow all leapt out, the latter wearing a parachute. The turtles and Elisa came down in parachutes as well, the latter letting off a few pot shots at the Pack members.

Once everyone landed, Broadway, Leo, and Brooklyn made for Jackal, cornering him quickly. He fired his weapon at them, but Leo quickly pulled out a sword and quickly blocked the blasts. As Jackal continued to shoot at him, Broadway quickly snatched the out of his hands, crushing it to bits.

"I hate guns." He told him. "And people who use them to try and kill other people!"

Brooklyn then grabbed Jackal by his legs, hoisting him into the air. He brought him down hard on the ground. As he tried to pull himself up, Leo brought his foot down on him hard, knocking him to the ground and out like a light.

Hyena continued to run through the woods with Raph and Mikey in hot pursuit.

"You might as well give up!" Mikey called out.

"You'll have to catch me first, freaks!" She shouted back.

That was when Willow landed in front of her, slicing through the ropes of her parachute with her metal claw. Hyena stopped in her tracks as Willow punched her fists together, activating her new gauntlets.

"Hello Hyena." She greeted. "Remember me?"

"Well, just what we needed." Hyena snarled. "The local freakshow and their little pet!"

Hyena tossed the gun to the side, extending the knife like claws of her gauntlets. Willow readied her own as Mikey, Raph and Donnie caught up, their weapons at the ready.

"Three against one?" She remarked, grinning "Terrible odds… for you."

Hyena launched herself at Willow, her claws going to rake at her face. Willow brought hers up, using it to block the attacks. Raph quickly ran up and took a swing at her with his sai, but she was quick to block the attack. She tried uppercutting him, but Raph just backflipped away as Mikey ran up and began swinging his nunchucks at her. She dodged and blocked most of them but a stray attack managed to nail her in the face. She staggered back a bit and clenched her jaw before turning around and kicking Mikey in the face, knocking him to the ground.

"Sheesh, I thought we were supposed to be the ninjas!" Mikey let out.

"She's too fast!" Raph snarled. "Any ideas Donnie?"

"I got one!" Donnie answered. "Willow, aim your palm at Hyena as fast and hard as you can!"

Willow did as she was told, a small light forming in the center of her palm. In a flash, the light shot out, striking right in the chest. The woman fell like a sack of potatoes, unconscious like her brother. Willow blew smoke from the gun and smirked.

"Okay, I love these things." she let out.

"Nice moves." Mikey complimented, raising his hand up.

Willow instinctively high fived it, forgetting the metal gauntlet she was wearing. Mikey quickly pulled his hand back and rubbed it in pain, much to Willow's embarrassment.

"Sorry." She apologized.

"Might wanna add softer gloves next time, D." Mikey suggested.

"I'll make a note of that." Donnie replied.

Before the group could truly celebrate their victory, Derek emerged from where he and Xanatos had been hiding. Armed with a flashlight and a pistol, he stared down the group.

"What the heck?" He let out. "What are you?!"

"Uh-oh..." Mikey gulped.

Goliath went to take a step towards him, but Derek immediately trained his gun on the gargoyle.

"Don't move!" Derek insisted. "Now all of you, drop your weapons or I swear to God I'll shoot!"

The turtles all dropped their weapons as they and the gargoyles raised their hands. Willow and Elisa went to step forward, but someone beat them to the punch.

"Derek I assure you, there's no need for that." Xanatos insisted. "None of them mean you any harm."

"How do you know that?" Derek asked.

"Remember that family dispute I told you about?" Xanatos reminded. "Well, meet Willow's new guardians."

Taking that as her cue, Willow stepped into the light of the flashlight, her gauntlets returning to bracelet form as she waved sheepishly.

"Hey Derek." she greeted.

"So… you're living with Gargoyles now?" Derek asked.

"Yeah..." she replied. "The turtles are good friends too. So… can you put down the gun now?"

Derek put his gun away, allowing the group to lower their hands. That's when Elisa emerged from the group, approaching her brother.

"Derek, you need to listen to me." she insisted. "Xanatos isn't the man you think he is."

"So you keep saying." Derek replied.

"She's telling the truth." Broadway insisted. "We've been fighting with him since we woke up!"

"He's a cunning and manipulative man who always has a scheme up his sleeve." Leo added.

"You can't trust him." Willow chimed in. "You just-"

"Enough!" Derek snapped, causing everyone to jump. "Look, if you think I'm going to take the word of some strange creatures at face value, then you're as crazy as you look."

"What about me?" Elisa questioned. "You're willing to dismiss me too?"

"You keep as big a secret as this and you expect me to trust you?" Derek retorted. "You've been lying to me, to Mom and Pop, to everyone!"

"I had to!" Elisa insisted. "If I told anyone about these guys, they'd either lock me up for being insane, or lock them up to be someone's lab rats!"

"Okay, that's it!" Willow suddenly screamed.

Everyone turned to her.

"Look, this is getting incredibly out of hand, and frankly I'm tired of listening to siblings fight!" she snapped. "If it's not the trio going at each other's' throats, its the turtles! And now you! You're supposed to be rational adults, and yet you're fighting like little kids! Elisa is entitled to keep her secrets, just as you're entitled to keep yours! Now both of you, stop fighting and make up before you say or do something you'll both regret!"

She was slightly out of breath at the end of her tirade, an awkward silence falling over the forest.

"Uh, we're just… gonna go… bye." Donnie let out before walking back to the copter.

The others followed after him, grabbing Jackal and Hyena along the way. After a moment, only Elisa and Derek were left. They looked at one another, then Elisa sighed.

"Look… I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the gargoyles or the turtles." she apologized. "Honestly, I wouldn't even know where to begin with them."

"I… guess you had your reasons." Derek relented. "But I'm still staying on with Xanatos. I know you're looking out for me, but it's my life."

"I get that." Elisa replied. "As much as I want you to stay a cop and stay away from Xanatos, you have to decide for yourself what you're gonna do. Just… Just promise me that if things go south, you won't hesitate to call me."

"Of course." Derek reassured.

The two shared a hug before Elisa made her way towards the copter. It took off from Xanadune, leaving Derek alone in the woods. He watched her go, then Xanatos came forward.

"Come, let's get inside." he insisted. "It's getting quite cold out here."

Derek started towards Xanatos, only to turn back for a moment. He looked up at the sky, then eventually followed Xanatos inside.

...

Back in the clock tower, the two Pack members had been taken in by police as the turtles and gargoyles watched from the balcony.

"Man, Willow sure read them the riot act back there." Mikey remarked.

"She wasn't wrong." Goliath remarked. "I lost all of my brothers and sisters in one fell swoop. What I wouldn't give to fight with them again..."

"The night of the Massacre, we got in trouble with the clan." Brooklyn remembered. "It still hurts to think that was the last time we ever saw them."

"Dang…" Raph let out.

"You know, things can get pretty hard around here," Donnie spoke up. "But at least we have each other."

"Yeah, and I wouldn't have it any other way." Leo agreed.

The four brothers shared a group hug as the trio exchanged looks.

"What he said." Broadway declared, gesturing to Leo.

As the sun came up, the gargoyles were frozen in stone once more, kind and loving smiles on all their faces.


	14. The Pig and The Rhino

Down in the turtles' sewer lair, Splinter was in the middle of a training session. However, it was not his sons he was instructing, but Willow. She had her new gauntlets on, facing the rat as he began his lesson.

"Are you ready to begin, Willow?" Splinter asked.

She nodded, sliding into a basic fighting stance. Her metallic fingers hissed slightly as she readied herself, her eyes never leaving Splinter. She charged forward and tried punching him, but he simply caught the fist, swept her off her feet, and placed a foot on her stomach in one motion.

"Lesson one," He spoke. "You are never as good as you think you are."

She grunted, Splinter removing his foot and allowing her to get up.

"Well that was embarrassing." she let out.

"Well, no offense, but charging straight forward as a ninja master might not be the best idea." Donnie commented. "You need to plan your moves through before engaging."

"She's not a ninja, she's a normal girl." Mikey remarked. "She was going with her gut and trying something her speed."

"Oh what, like five seconds ago?" Donnie commented.

"So she had a bad run." Mikey remarked. "It works sometimes, just watch."

Willow tried a second time, charging forward with her claws bared. She swiped twice, Splinter dodging each time. The third time, he caught her wrist, twisting it and putting her back down on the ground.

"See?" Mikey piped up. "She lasted longer this time."

"Just happenstance." Donnie dismissed. "It's still no excuse for proper strategy."

"Donatello, Michelangelo." Splinter called out, drawing their attention. "Do you wish to share your thoughts with the rest of us?"

The two froze up a bit before turning towards Splinter.

"Uh, it's nothing, Sensei." Donnie insisted. "Mikey and I were just debating the importance of strategy over 'going with the flow'."

"I see." Splinter noted.

"Yeah." Mikey replied. "Sometimes you just gotta go with your gut, follow your instincts and act without thinking because the bad guys don't always give you time to think."

"However, going in without a plan could be the last mistake you ever make." Donnie argued. "You need to know what you're doing, have an idea of what you want to do, and act on it."

"You both make very compelling arguments." Splinter commended. "Willow, what do you think?"

Willow blinked, contemplating the question.

"Well… Goliath is often stressing how important it is to have a plan before going through with a mission." she recalled.

Donnie grinned at Mikey.

"But often times, the plan falls through, and we're forced to rely on based instincts to survive." Willow amended.

Mikey smirked right back in confidence.

"So what you are saying is that they are both right, and both wrong." Splinter summarized.

Willow shrugged.

"I guess?"

"Then it seems this matter is settled." Splinter decided before walking off.

The three watched him go, the two turtles exchanging confused looks.

"You know it's Splinter wisdom when everyone's left confused at the end." Mikey declared.

…

Out in the city, Leo and Raph were out with the trio on patrol, the gargoyles keeping close to the roof so they could converse while flying.

"So, you guys do this every night?" Brooklyn questioned. "I thought you guys slept at night."

"Sometimes." Raph replied. "Other times we patrol the city for scum like the Purple Dragons and those robots."

Lexington growled at the mention of the robots, his eyes drifting to a faint scar on his wing where Krang had removed a small piece. Though a day of rest had healed him, he was still bitter over the experience. He quickly shook his head and returned to the moment.

"What do you know about those robots?" He asked.

"About as much as you do." Leo answered. "They created the ooze, they're incredibly strong, and-"

"Headed down mainstreet at reckless speeds." Broadway interjected, pointing downward.

The others looked down and saw a truck similar to the one the trio stopped the night Lex was taken. The green gargoyle's eyes lit up as a snarl slipped from his mouth.

"Let's see why they're in such a hurry." he declared, swooping down.

"We better follow him so he doesn't get himself in anymore trouble." Leo decided before he and Raph vaulted off the roof.

Brooklyn and Broadway follow after, unaware of the shadowy figure watching them from the darkness. Down below, the gargoyles swooped down in front of the windshield, catching the driver off guard. They immediately swerved to try and avoid the flying assailants. While they were doing that, Leo and Raph each drew a set of shuriken, throwing them at the tires and blowing them out. The truck swerved out of control before crashing into a lamp post. As smoke emanated from the scrunched up hood of the truck, the five inhuman heroes landed on the street and moved towards the downed vehicle. Just then, the back doors flew open, and several robots in human disguises came out and began opening fire on them.

"Move!" Leo ordered, causing the five to scatter.

They all quickly moved out of the way of the blaster fire before any shots could hit them. As Raph rolled onto the ground, he quickly pulled out a sai and threw it at the head of one of the robots, impaling it and knocking it to the ground. Leo dodged around the laser blasts before finally reaching the robot and slicing through it with his sword. Broadway dropped between two robots, smashing their heads together. Brooklyn darted up to one and managed to tear its arms off before smacking it with them. Lexington ended up pouncing on top of one, his claws tearing away at the metal as he howled angrily.

With all the robots down, the five heroes turned to the truck itself. Raph glared at the back doors, seeing a complicated electrical lock keeping it shut.

"Of all the nights for Donnie to stay home." he muttered. "How are we supposed to-?"

Brooklyn punched through the lock, then began bending the door out of the way, revealing the contents.

"Open." the red gargoyle declared.

"That works." Raph remarked.

"Wow, you boys certainly know how to make a mess." a familiar female voice called out.

The five of them turned to see Karai standing on a neighboring lamp post before leaping to the ground.

"Karai." Leo let out.

"Hey Leo, been a long time." Karai remarked. "Though I never pegged you for the armed robbery type."

"This has nothing to do with you." Leo insisted.

"You're clearly interested in whatever's in that truck." Karai argued, taking note of all the robot parts strewn across the street. "Interested enough to decimate those robots. That alone has me incredibly intrigued."

"These things are dangerous." Lex insisted. "Leave now."

"Well now I'm definitely seeing what's in that truck." she declared, drawing her tanto.

"Last chance to book out of here, Karai." Raph threatened. "Unless your itching for your undies to make an encore performance."

Karai went stiff for a moment, then her vision went red. Letting out a primal yell, she charged at Raph. She swung her blade violently at Raph, making him duck and dodge every strike dealt his way. Raph quickly brought his sai up to block the blow as she stared him down.

"Still a touchy subject, I see." Raph remarked.

Karai quickly shoved him off and was about to run him through when Leo quickly came up and blocked the blow. The two traded blows at rapid succession, with neither one gaining ground on the other. Karai tried kicking at Leo's head but he quickly ducked under it and tried kicking at her, forcing her to leap out of the way.

Brooklyn swooped in and tried slashing at her with his claws, but she just blocked it with her blade and kicked him aside. Broadway came up from behind and wrapped his arms around her, trapping her arms at her sides. She reached as best she could, grabbing him and flipping him over her back. He collided with the truck, causing it to shake and making a canister of mutagen bounce across the ground. Karai stopped it with her foot, picking it up.

"Well, this isn't what I was expecting." she admitted, looking at the glowing concoction. "What is this stuff?"

"You don't wanna know." Broadway told her, pulling himself up.

"I guess I'll just have to figure this mystery out on my own." she said with a nonchalant shrug.

She then pulled out a smoke bomb and chucked it to the ground. The five of them tried to rush her, but just ended up dogpiling one another, the kunoichi nowhere to be seen.

"Damn," Raph let out. "She got away."

"And she got your ooze stuff too." Brooklyn remarked. "That's not gonna end well."

"No, it is not." Leo agreed.

…

At Foot headquarters, Karai walked through the main doors with the glowing canister in her hands. She walked right up to the throne room where Shredder sat, with Nakumo standing off to the side. Karai bowed respectfully as she approached.

"Father, I found something you might find interesting." She told him, holding up the canister.

"What is it?" Shredder asked.

"I'm not sure." Karai admitted. "But the turtles and gargoyles were insistent that it was dangerous."

She held up the canister, offering it up to him as he stood up and walked down towards her. He opened it, examining to contents. As he did, a fly buzzing around the room settled on the sludge, drinking a small bit of it before flying off. It made it about a foot away before suddenly dropping to the ground and growing. Karai and Shredder backed away in shock at the mutated fly, which buzzed loudly before flying towards them. Karai quickly kicked the fly right into the wall, knocking it unconscious.

"Incredible." Shredder remarked, glancing at the creature before his gaze returned to the ooze in his hand.

"If that stuff can turn a fly into that," Karai began, gesturing to the fly with her tanto, "Then whatever it is may be the key to the turtles' origins."

"Indeed." Shredder agreed, examining the ooze. "Just wonder though, if this had been in contact with a more powerful animal…"

"Perhaps it would make a creature strong enough to destroy the turtles." Karai finished. "Or even better, their gargoyle allies!"

"Exactly!" Shredder agreed, handing her back the canister. "Karai, Nakumo,take this to Stockman and tell him to prepare his laboratory."

"Yes, father." she replied, closing the lid once more.

"As you command, master." Nakumo replied

The two walked out of the room as Shredder took his place on his throne once more.

"Hun!" he called out.

Hun walked into the throne room and knelt in front of Shredder.

"You summoned, Master?" Hun asked.

"I have need of some of your Purple Dragons for an experiment." Shredder told him. "Round up a few volunteers, and have them brought to Stockman's lab immediately."

"As you wish, Master Shredder." Hun complied, heading off to complete his task.

…

Meanwhile, Leo, Raph, and the trio returned to the lair and informed the others what was going on. Donnie, Mikey, and Willow all sat on the couch as they explained, the latter downing a bottle of water.

"And then she got away with the mutagen." Leo concluded.

"This is grievous news indeed." Splinter dreaded. "The mutagen is dangerous enough on its own, but in the hands of the Shredder…"

"Incredibly catastrophic and potentially life threatening to the entire city?" Willow offered up.

"Exactly." Splinter confirmed.

"Then we need to find this guy and get your ooze back." Brooklyn rationalized.

"Easier said than done." Donnie responded. "Shredder's lair is a certifiable fortress, one we have yet to locate unfortunately."

"We've only ever dealt with them out on the streets, so we don't even know where to look." Raph grumbled.

"So what do we do?" Broadway asked.

"We'll have to wait for them to make the first move." Leo answered. "It's the only thing we can do."

About that time, Donnie's cell phone began to ring. Curious, he picked it up and answered it.

"Hello?" He spoke.

" _Donnie, it's Angel. Remember me?"_

"Oh, hey Angel." he replied. "What's up?"

" _I did promise to act as your spy as a thanks for sparing my life._ " she reminded him. " _Well, I've got some news that you might like… or not like actually._ "

"What is it?" Donnie inquired.

" _Hun came into the headquarters today, asking for volunteers for an 'experiment for the Master'. He promised it would be a worthwhile venture, and that volunteers would be granted 'the tools they needed to squash the freaks plaguing our operations'. I'm assuming he meant you guys._ "

"No other freaks ruining the ventures of street gangs come to mind." Donnie replied. "How many did he take?"

" _Two. Bebop and Rocksteady. That's the guy with the purple mohawk and his buddy if you're not familiar with who they are._ "

"I recall, they tried to kill us once." Donnie replied.

" _Well, something tells me that once this experiment is over, they're going to try again. For your sake, I suggest you either make yourselves scarce, or arm yourselves to the teeth._ "

"We'll keep that in mind, thanks." Donnie responded before hanging up. "We got a problem."

…

At his laboratory, Dr. Baxter Stockman studied a sample of the mutagen under a microscope with gleeful curiosity.

"I have never seen anything like this..." he let out. "The chemical formula contains elements not even on the periodic table, and the bonding rate of these cells is astronomically fast."

"That's fascinating and all," Karai replied, stifling a yawn and looking bored out of her mind. "But we didn't come here for a science lecture. How does it create these… mutations?"

"Hmmm, well from the looks of it, it combines the DNA of two creatures, creating a single, mutated being." Stockman answered. "The turtles are no doubt a human-turtle hybrid."

"Really?" Karai replied sarcastically. "I never would've guessed."

"Sarcasm will not get you far, Miss Karai." Stockman informed her.

"Neither will you testing my patients." Karai replied.

"Can you create more mutations for Master Shredder?" Nakumo asked.

"Naturally." Stockman reassured. "All I need are test subjects, and some DNA samples.

"Your test subjects have arrived." Hun suddenly announced.

Both Karai and Stockman turned at the sound, seeing Hun escorting Bebop and Rocksteady in. Shredder accompanied them as well, curious to see the results of the experiments. The two dragons looked around, whistling at Stockman's set up.

"Hell of a place you got here, doc." Bebop commented.

"Yeah, quite the set up." Rocksteady agreed. "So, can you really make us as strong as those freaks? Even the winged ones?"

"Indeed I can." Stockman promised. "It's simply a matter of combining the mutagen with the right mammalian DNA."

"I brought some samples I would prefer." Shredder declared, holding up two vials. "I'll let you decide which goes where."

Stockman took the vials and brought them over to his work table, pouring some of the mutagen sample into each. He then loaded the mixtures into two different darts, which he then loaded into a dart gun.

"I suggest everyone step back." he warned. "I do not know what will happen, but I get the feeling that this process will not be pretty."

He then shot both Bebop and Rocksteady with the darts, hitting both of them in the two winced at the darts containing the vials pierced their skin and the mutagen coursed through their bodies. As they pulled out the darts, they could already feel something happening. Something changing inside of them. The mutation process had begun.

Bebop started feeling the effects of the mutagen. His body was starting to get bigger. So big that his feet burst through his shoes destroying them, and he had to tear off his shirt just to compensate his larger torso. His skin also seemed to be sprouting hair all over. His ears were pointing out and his face started contorting into a snout with tusks coming out.

"What is happening to us?!" Bebop questioned surprisingly laughing.

"I don't know," Rocksteady replied joyous as well. "But this feels great!"

Rocksteady was also going through a transformation. His hair started falling out as his skin began turning gray. His ears started pointing upward and his nose started contorting out and pointing upward into a horn. His feet and torso also became too big for his shirt and shoes.

Finally, the mutation was complete. Bebop and Rocksteady stood up to get a good look at each other's altered forms. They seemed to be laughing at the results.

"You Rock, you're a Rhinoceros!" Bebop exclaimed, patting his friend hard on the shoulder.

"And you're a..." Rocksteady stumbled, looking confused. "I don't know what you are, man."

Bebop laughed, then grabbed a metal dish off the table, looking at himself.

"Huh… I'm a little piggy!" He announced.

"You're a warthog." Karai corrected, letting out a groan. "Father, please tell me these idiots aren't your big plan to destroy the turtles and the gargoyles."

"If anything, they will serve as good test subjects." Shredder told her.

"So Rock, whaddya say we put our new forms to use?" Bebop asked. "I want another crack at that fat gargoyle!"

"Oh yeah!" Rocksteady agreed. "Let's go kick some turtle and gargoyle butt!"

The two quickly made their way out of the lab, unfortunately shattering the door frame as they did.

"No no, go ahead." Stockman let out. "I didn't need this place intact or anything."

"Master, is it wise to let those two loose?" Nakumo questioned.

"They'll certainly give our adversaries a hard time." Shredder replied. "Besides, if the mutagen could do that to them… imagine what it can do to our troops."

"Oh the possibilities are endless." Stockman agreed. "Even so, perhaps we should observe the… test subjects before recruiting more."

"Finally, something to do." Karai let out, stretching.

…

Meanwhile, the turtles and Willow met up with the Gargoyles on a nearby rooftop, Donnie quickly explaining the situation.

"The Shredder got ahold of that ooze potion?" Lexington asked.

"Yeah, and he took two of the Purple Dragons, Bebop and Rocksteady, to test it on." Donnie confirmed.

"Performing such dark magic on his own underlings..." Hudson muttered, shaking his head. "Never have I witnessed such cold hearted cruelty."

"All the more reason to find this potion and destroy it." Goliath declared. "Where is Shredder's fortress?"

The turtles exchanged uneasy looks. Willow caught on first.

"You don't know where it is, do you?" she guessed.

"No." Leo reported. "All our past battles have had him coming to us."

"Great." Brooklyn grumbled. "So Shredder has your potion, and we have no way of finding it."

"Our best bet is to find these two ruffians and have them lead us to Shredder's fortress." Goliath surmised.

"Just one problem." Broadway pointed out. "How do we find them?"

Suddenly, there was a large crash from down the street, accompanied by a car alarm, the sound of shattering glass, and a terrified cat screeching.

"Found em!" Mikey called out.

"Let's move guys!" Leo declared.

The turtles vaulted off of the rooftops, the gargoyles taking off after them with Willow in Brooklyn's arms.

…

Down in the street, Bebop and Rocksteady were doing everything they could think of to make a huge mess. They ripped off fire hydrants, smashed windows, even overturned cars as they made as much noise as possible.

"Oh turtles!" Bebop called out in a singsong voice. "Come out and play!"

When they didn't get a response, the two continued to wreak havoc on the street. As Rocksteady prepared to throw a hydrant at a building, something connected with the side of his face. He paused, looking down and seeing a hockey puck settling down.

"Hey fellas!" A voice cried out. "Looking for a good time?"

The two turned to see a man in a red sleeveless shirt, a hockey mask, weilding a hockey stick standing across the street.

"I must say, you two are the ugliest Purple Dragons I have ever met." He declared.

"Is that so?" Rocksteady replied. "Well you ain't exactly much to look at either, vigilante."

"You wanna test that?" He challenged.

The two mutants started moving towards the man, prompting him to run forward and slide under the two mutants. He then got up and swung his hockey stick at Bebops head, shattering it upon impact and knocking the mutant back slightly. Rocksteady retorted by punching the man in the stomach, sending him flying into a car.

"That was just a love tap, pal." Rocksteady remarked. "This next one's gonna hurt a lot more."

"Sorry to disappoint you, pals!" Leo's voice called out. "But you aren't gonna hurt anyone else, tonight!"

Bebop and Rocksteady looked up to see the turtles and gargoyles perched on a rooftop above them. Casey went wide-eyed, shocked at the sight of the gargoyles.

"Wow, and I thought the turtles were the weirdest thing in this city." he remarked.

"Who's the guy in the hockey mask?" Brooklyn questioned, gesturing to the man.

"Casey Jones." Raph informed. "A friend."

"Good enough for me!" Broadway declared, jumping off the roof.

The other gargoyles and turtles leapt down to the ground and stared down the their new mutant foes.

"Well well." Bebop let out. "Just the freaks we were working for."

"You think we're the freaks?" Mikey jeered. "1987 called, it wants its haircut back."

"Still got jokes, huh?" Bebop replied. "Well let's see how funny you are, after we bash your heads in!"

Bebop and Rocksteady ran forward towards the group, Goliath flew forward first, ramming right into Rocksteady. The rhino dug in his heels, kicking up pieces of the road as he tried to stop the gargoyle. He grabbed Goliath by the arms and tossed him aside, throwing him into a wall. Goliath rebounded hard, leaving cracks in the brickwork. Rocksteady saw this, grinning widely. Goliath quickly shook it off as he got back up, gritting his teeth in irritation.

Bebop meanwhile, was fighting with both Mikey and Broadway. He batted Mikey aside before Broadway tackled him to the ground, prompting the two to wrestle. The pig mutant quickly got on top, delivering several punches to Broadway's face. Mikey then quickly leapt onto Bebop's back, hitting him on the head with his nunchucks repeatedly. In return, Bebop grabbed him by the shoulders, flipping him off and onto Broadway.

"Ow…" Mikey let out.

"Thanks for trying." Broadway replied.

Mikey smiled as the two got to their feet. Broadway held Bebop's fists back long enough for Mikey to kick him in the gut. Bebop hunched over in pain, allowing Broadway to uppercut him in the snout.

"Aw yeah, son!" Mikey cried out. "Gargoyle turtle combo right there!"

The two high threed, or four'd in Broadway's case, then prepared to continue the fight. Meanwhile, Willow came rushing up to Casey, who was still staring at the gargoyles. She grabbed his arm, ducking as he instinctively swung at her.

"Whoa there." she called out. "Friendly."

"Sorry." Casey replied.

Willow shrugged.

"Hey, considering what you're staring at, I understand being on edge."

"Yeah," Casey replied. "New York. A hell of a town, eh?"

"Agreed." Willow nodded, holding out a hand. "Willow, by the way."

"Casey Jones." Casey replied, shaking it.

"Well, Casey Jones, I suggest we get to safety while our friends deal with bacon and bonehead." Willow insisted.

"You kiddin?" Casey replied. "I was made to take on boneheads like these."

"Maybe when they were human, but considering they're giving Goliath a run for his money, I say we leave this fight to them." Willow pointed out.

Casey peeked back over to see Goliath being pushed back by Rocksteady, the rhino mutant a bit too much for even him. Donnie tried leaping onto him, but Rocksteady just grabbed him and threw him off.

"Right." Casey allowed. "But I doubt even the big ones can hold off these losers for long. Unless you want to be scraping your pals off the sidewalk with a spatula, we need a plan and fast."

"I'm open to suggestions." Willow replied.

Just then, Mikey was thrown next to them, hitting the wall hard.

"Oh, hey guys." He greeted in pain. "You two getting along? That's nice."

Willow reached down, pulling Mikey back to his feet.

"A direct assault isn't working." She insisted. "We need to outthink these guys."

"Shouldn't be hard." Casey snorted. "I've seen doornails smarter than these two."

Mikey perked, getting an idea.

"Dude, I think I got an idea." He declared. "Casey, get Willow to safety."

"Uh oh." Willow let out. "I don't like this."

"You heard the turtle." Casey told her. "Let's hit the road."

He grabbed her wrist, pulling her to safety as Mikey ran back into the battle. He passed by Bebop and threw several shurikens at the mutant warthog.

"Hey Pumbaa!" Mikey jeered. "Little piggy wanna play?"

"What are you doing?" Brooklyn hissed, swooping down and landing beside Mikey.

"Trust me." Mikey insisted before raising his voice again. "You and Rocksteady have got to be the biggest and smelliest scumbags I've ever seen, and I've seen what you used to look like!"

The two mutants roared in response before charging at Mikey. Mikey quickly leapt over them, causing them to crash into a nearby construction site.

"We got 'em on the run, now!" Mikey declared.

"I think ye may have it the other way around, lad!" Hudson corrected.

Goliath began putting the pieces together, realizing what Mikey was planning.

"No, Michelangelo is right." He realized, looking at the site before them. "Everyone, in there!"

Not about to argue with him, both Gargoyle and Turtle alike began vaulting into the site, just as Bebop and Rocksteady got to their feet.

"You're gonna pay for that!" Rocksteady swore.

"And whatcha gonna do about it, horn face?" Mikey taunted.

"Do you seriously have a death wish?!" Raph asked.

"Just trust me." Mikey begged. "I have an idea."

"Why does that not fill me with confidence?" Lexington muttered.

Bebop and Rocksteady charged forward, tearing through several support columns along the way. Mikey glanced up, seeing the entire site beginning to shake.

"Everyone brace yourselves!" Mikey shouted.

The group stood their ground as the partially constructed building began to crumble, crashing down on top of them all. The Gargoyles began covering themselves with their wings, crowding around the turtles as they were buried in I-beams, wooden planks, and plywood. Willow and Casey, who were watching from an adjacent alley, both had to cover their mouths to keep from screaming. The two mutants watched the dust settle, seeing a piece of red cloth and the hilt of a viking sword.

"Guess that did it." Rocksteady remarked.

"So much easier this way." Bebop declared. "And look, souvenirs!"

He grabbed the mask, as well as she sword, giving it a test swing.

"Not a bad blade, eh Rock?" he asked.

"Not bad." Rocksteady agreed. "Come on, let's go tell the boss."

The two then took off, forgetting all about Willow and Casey. Once they were out of sight, Willow broke free of Casey, rushing over to the wreckage.

"Brooklyn!" she cried, trying to shift some of the rubble. "Goliath! Leo! Anyone!"

"Don't worry kid." Casey concoled. "Those guys are tough."

Willow didn't seem to hear him, continuing to try and shift the rubble. As she did, Casey heard the sounds of sirens approaching and panicked.

"Aw crap." Casey let out. "Hey kid, we need to go!"

Willow either ignored him, didn't hear him, or didn't care. Casey was just about to grab her and drag her away when a police cruiser pulled up into the entrance. Out of the cruiser came Elisa, who surveyed the damage before locking eyes on Casey.

"Well, well, if it isn't the masked vigilante." she greeted. "What are you doing here, Jones?"

"Detective Maza…" Casey let out.

"This has to be the fifth time I've caught you disturbing the peace." Elisa pressed. "I hope you have a good..."

She trailed off when she spotted Willow by the wreckage. Her face fell and a worried expression crossed her face.

"Oh no..." she whispered.

"Elisa..." Willow cried. "They're trapped. Please, you have to-"

Just then, the rubble started shaking, and Goliath came tearing out of the pile. The other gargoyles and turtles followed close behind. All of the gargoyles had white glowing eyes, howling like angry monsters.

"Wow, look at that." Casey let out, trying to act aloof. "Strange monsters, in New York. what could possibly-"

"Goliath!" Elisa called out in surprise and relief, stowing her gun and rushing over to the lavender Gargoyle.

"Oh," Casey let out. "You guys know each other. Good."

Willow threw herself around Brooklyn in relief, gripping him tightly. The white in his eyes faded immediately as he was caught off guard by the hug.

"Hey, we're tougher to kill than you think." He told her, patting her back.

"Oh, hey Eliza." Leo greeted, spotting the detective. "I see you've met Casey."

"We've run into each other on occasion." Elisa remarked. "Though I'm surprised to see you know him. He seems a bit reckless to be one of your allies."

"He's Raph's friend." Donnie explained.

"Ah." Elisa nodded.

"Anyway, what's with giving us a heart attack like that?" Willow questioned. "We thought-"

"We were roadkill?" Mikey guessed. "Exactly. Bacon and Bonehead will go back to Shred-head with the good news, and proof to boot."

"Meaning we can follow them back to where Shredder is hiding." Hudson pieced together. "Well played, lad."

"I try." Mikey smirked.

"Come, we must hurry." Goliath insisted. "Our quarry grows farther away with each passing moment.

"Then let's get going!" Leo declared, the group running off.

…

Back at Stockman's lab, Shredder was pacing restlessly, waiting for word back on Bebop and Rocksteady. Karai was laying on a desk, spinning a kunai in her hand out of sheer boredom as Nakumo sharpened his blade.

"Ugh..." she groaned. "How long is this going to take? I'm not getting any younger over here!"

"They have been gone longer than anticipated." Shredder admitted. "Still, I am certain that-"

The doors were suddenly thrown open as Bebop and Rocksteady came walking in.

"We came, we saw, we kicked mutant and gargoyle ass!" Bebop cheered.

"Check it!" Rocksteady declared, tossing Raph's mask and Hudson's sword onto the table before Shredder. "Those chumps ain't gonna need these anymore."

Shredder looked down at the trophies before turning to the mutants, punching them senseless. They both saw stars, falling on their butts and rubbing where the hits had connected.

"You imbeciles!" Shredder let out. "How have you brought me these trinkets and not the corpse of a single mutant or gargoyle!"

"I told you these guys were idiots." Karai let out. "I knew they'd fail because they can't even count to twelve without taking off their shoes."

"But… we squashed them under a ton of stuff!" Bebop told them. "They were pancakes."

"They are tougher to kill than most," Shredder retorted. "Believe me. So I ask again, where are their bodies?!"

"Right here." Broadway proclaimed.

The villains turned and saw the turtles and gargoyles in the doorway.

"And they are perfectly fine." Mikey added, flexing and kissing his bicep.

"Get them!" Shredder ordered.

They all charged at the heroes, causing them to scatter. Goliath charged at Hun, the two locking hands and wrestling with each other.

"I owe you big after last time, freak!" Hun told him.

"We shall see of that!" Goliath replied, showing Hun into a wall.

Brooklyn and Raph meanwhile went at Rocksteady, the latter leaping over the mutant rhino as Brooklyn moved in for a punch. Rocksteady stumbled back as Raph kicked the back of his leg, causing him to kneel over. Brooklyn then grabbed him by his shirt, lifting him up before throwing him through a wall.

"Not so tough now, are you?" The red gargoyle sneered.

Raph meanwhile went over to the table and grabbed his mask and Hudson's sword.

"Hey, Hudson," He called out, tossing him the sword. "Heads up!"

Hudson caught the blade just in time to stop Nakumo from striking him down.

"Thanks lad!" Hudson shouted, pushing Nakumo off of him.

"You think you can best me you old beast?" Nakumo sneered.

"Lad, I was battling the hordes of Scotland before ye were a twinkle in her great grancestor's eye." Hudson retorted, his eyes glowing white as he slashed at him.

The two continued clashing blades, neither gaining ground over the other. Hudson then whipped around, using his tail to knock Nakumo off his feet before slamming him in the ground. Across the room, Leo and Karai clashed blades themselves, the fury and intensity in their eyes evident.

"I'm going to enjoy tearing you out of your shell." Karai swore.

"Funny, I thought you'd rather play games with me." Leo remarked. "Spark lost between us?"

"You left me in my underwear!" Karai shrieked. "In New York! In Autumn!"

"Well you tried to kill my friend's father." Leo retorted.

"Xanatos has it coming and you know it." Karai snorted.

"Maybe, but you don't get to decide that!" Leo replied, shoving her aside.

She quickly kicked him in the face, sending him stumbling back as she leapt up to bring her blade down on him. He rolled out of the way as she landed, springing up and clocking her across the face.

"Right in the kisser." Leo remarked.

"Kiss this!" Karai snapped, kicking him in the mouth.

He fell back onto the ground, Karai ready to stab him. Leo dodged the blade, allowing her to stab the ground. She tried to pull her blade free, but it was stuck, allowing Leo to punch her across the face, knocking her down.

Meanwhile, Mikey and Broadway were fighting against Bebop, avoiding his massive fists to land some blows of their own. Mikey was dodging and weaving, performing his signature backflip in order to get on Bebop's shoulders.

"Hey Broadway, piggyback ride!" He cheered

Bebop thrashed around while attempting to throw Mikey off, but nothing seemed to be working. Broadway took this as an opportunity to fly in and tackle Bebop, prompting Mikey to leap off as Broadway flattened him.

"Booyakasha!" Mikey cheered, holding up a hand for a high five.

Donnie and Lex meanwhile, were going head to head against Shredder, barely avoiding his killer blade. Lex leapt towards him, but Shredder grabbed him by the throat and tossed him aside. Donnie tried swinging his staff at Shredder, causing him to bring up his claws to block it. He then kicked Donnie aside, causing him to roll back to his feet. Lex tried coming at him again, but Shredder easily swatted him back.

"Pathetic." Shredder dismissed.

Lex and Donnie just groaned as they got to their feet.

"We're getting nowhere with this guy." Lex realized.

"I know." Donnie replied. "We need a plan."

He looked around and saw the mutagen canister on the table. Suddenly, an idea came to mind. Donnie immediately sprang forward, pole vaulting over Shredder and landing on the table. He used his staff to swat the canister towards Shredder, using the electric relays to to zap it. It caused an explosion that knocked Shredder away, sending a small drop of mutagen towards the cowering Stockman, who ducked near a fly covered trash can.

"Guys, the mutagens gone!" Donnie called out. "Let's go!"

The gargoyles all took to the skies, grabbing a turtle as they flew the coop.

…

Down in the lair, the turtles filled Splinter in on their adventure, the gargoyles adding in their own input.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but Michelangelo's idea saved our skins." Brooklyn admitted.

"Hey, I do have good ideas every now and then." Mikey insisted. "I just saw the construction site and all the pieces just started falling into place."

"And Don, nice thinking with the exploding mutagen." Leo commended.

"Yeah, how did you know that would work?" Lexington asked.

"I'll admit, it was a spur of the moment thing." Donnie conceded. "Guess there is something to be said for improvising."

"Now you understand the lesson." Splinter told them. "In a team unit, there is no true right way to complete a mission. Each of you possess strengths and skills that are invaluable. It is merely a matter of how you use those gifts that determines victory."

"It seems we all learned something today." Goliath said with a small nod.

…

Back at the lab, a grotesque abomination made up of insect chitin, fly-like spindles, and massive red eyes slowly pulled itself up onto the table. It gazed into the reflection of a beaker, horrified by what it saw.

"What… what happened to me?!" it let out. "What izzz thizzz?"

"It is your punishment for failure, Stockman." Shredder told it, walking up to him. "Your creations failed to bring me the turtles, and I do not tolerate failure."

Karai pulled herself up from where she'd been dropped, rubbing her face.

"I can't believe we lost." she muttered before pausing. "Actually, I can believe it, because we put our hopes in two complete morons!"

"Indeed." Nakumo replied, sheathing his sword. "What I want to know is how did they respond so quickly to their chaos."

"A fair question." Shredder replied. "Considering the only ones aware of these dealings were us… and the Purple Dragons."

"Master, you know I am loyal to you and only you." Hun insisted. "As are all of my men."

"Apparently not all of them." Karai snorted. "You've got a rat in the Dragons."

"And we need to exterminate it." Shredder declared. "By any means necessary."


End file.
